Tellius High
by MidnightStriker
Summary: Crossover: FE7 and FE10 Lucia is a sophomore student in Tellius's most prestigious school, and falls for the new student, Elincia. But how will they survive when other students deem their relationship "forbidden"? Multiple pairings, yuri/yaoi warning. AU.
1. Journal 1: Introductions

_**MidnightStriker: **Hey there! It's been a while since my last FE fanfic, "Kingdom of Broken Hearts". Hope you enjoy this one! :)_

**Journal 1: Introductions**

Hey there, my name's Lucia. I'm your typical 15-year old girl, and currently I am getting my education in Tellius University. Today was our first day of classes, by the way, and I tell you, being a High School sophomore is no joke. I mean, I guess they took it easy on us when we were Freshmen, but things are getting serious now. That's life, I guess.

My mother works at the university as a Guidance Counselor, and I get the privilege of seeing her as often as I'd like. For students like me whose parents work at the school, we get some cool stuff unlike the others. For example, in the class listings we're called "Reliants". Not bad, huh? My brother Geoffrey is a freshman.

Our uniform consists of a polo/blouse with long sleeves for cold seasons and short sleeves for warmer seasons. Guys have slacks and girls have skirts. Completing the look is a…vest. And a jacket for the Juniors and Seniors.

Anyway, my first day of school is like any other. Students cram the lobby looking to see where they will be positioned for the next 10 months. I push past their squirming mass and am happily pleased to find myself in section A. My brother's stuck in section D. Since the students are coming in droves, I believe it will take me awhile to find my best friend Callil. She's 15 too, but heck, she looks way older than me.

It's soon 8:15 am, and we are called to the courtyard for our Principal Eliwood to deliver his customary "start-of-schoolyear-speech". OK, here he goes:

"Students! I would like to welcome you back to Tellius University after a 2 month absence. I see you have enjoyed your summer, some even more than others." A quiet chuckle rose from the group, since he seemed to be hitting on the portly kids. "I expect this schoolyear for all of you to learn how to work as a team, as a family. No one is an individual unit here, we must learn to co-exist and harness each others capabilites. When one falters, another will step in strong. When one is discouraged, another will comfort and encourage him. We will complement each other's weakness by another's strength."

A roar of applause greeted him, and he turned and sat back down. "OK High school, you may now go to your classrooms." Marcus, the _Leadership Trainer 3 and 4_ teacher, said. As I turned around, I felt a poke on my back. "Hey!" Callil grinned. "Hey yourself, you're late again." I jokingly told her as we moved along. "If you keep that up, you can cash in 3 of your red slip 'tickets' to claim an absent mark." "Aw, c'mon, Lucia! Largo and I had some catching up to do before we entered this boring cage." Callil told me. "Didn't you 'catch up 'all summer?" I grinned. "New things happen every day, sweetie." Callil replied.

Largo, a guy from 3rd year C, was her current boyfriend. She calls him her "one and only", but I prefer to think of the poor guy as her "one of many". With her good looks, Callil has turned many a boy's head. As for me, I never even have been kissed—except for family kisses, of course. Being a high-class bred student calls for prim and properliness in every aspect.

"So," Callil puffed as we hiked the stairs to our new classroom, located on the 4th floor, "who is our adviser this year?" "Ms. Serra," I replied, "she teachers Manners class." "Oh, that kook." Callil nods. "I met her once; she scolded me for putting on too much make up." I laughed and shook my head.

As soon as we reached our classroom, Callil and I race for the first-column last-row desk. It's near the window, and our chatter isn't heard as much. After putting our things away, we survey the new droves of students. Most of our old classmates are here—Astrid, Marcia, Jorge, Oscar and Kieran, to name a few. Some got transferred, like Nepheenee, to section C.

Astrid's a nice girl, she's on the honor roll, I'm sure. Beauty and brains best describe her, and she's part of the Folk dance club. Marcia's a chic girl on the Modern Dance club, like me. I know her and her best friend Jill pretty well. Jill is in section C also, by the way…

Jorge is the typical "nice guy". He's part of our group.

Oscar is quiet and studious. He's a great cook too. Only too easily giving in to peer pressure by his "rival-slash-bestfriend", Kieran.

I was broken out of my musings by Callil. "Who is that new student?" she asked me. I shrug. "How should I know?" We both eye an unsure-looking girl with green hair and amber eyes. She took the center row front desk beside Astrid. "Looks like one of those 'honor roll' types." Callil observed. "Geeky looking." I didn't respond, but taking in the girl's bunned hair, I silently had to agree with Callil. Before I could think further, the door suddenly banged open and a blur of pink and white zoomed in. Apparently it was our new adviser.

"Goooooooooood Morning 2-A!" she grins. "How was your summer? By the looks of it, you seemed to be rejuvenated!" I take in Serra's look. Her pink hair done into two ponytails, and she had a really perky and hyper disposition. "Let's start the year off with our traditional introductions! You know the rules, state your name, age, interests, expectations and if you are a new student or not. 'Cause I'm the adviser, I'm gonna start! Alright," Serra takes a deep breath, and begins.

"I'm Serra, and I teach you Manners class. I enjoy cooking, reading, and seeing Erk—er, I mean, seeing wildlife. I've been teaching in this university for four years. I expect this class to work as a team to overcome problems. I also hope you don't give our section a bad rep!" We applaud, and silently wished that Serra wouldn't pick us.

Her hawk-like eyes scan the room. "OK, how about these nice students at the front? Dear, would you mind being our first one to speak?" Serra has targeted the newbie with green hair. "Me? Oh, OK ma'am. No problem." She smiles and walks to the front. "This is gonna be good!" Callil said. "Now we gonna now who she is." "Why are you so interested in her anyway?" I asked. "Nothing really. New students stir things up a bit." Callil responded.

Callil was about to tell me something else, but I held up a finger to shush her. The newbie is about to speak. "My name is Elincia. I am currently 14 years of age. Some of my interests include horseback riding and fencing. I am a new student, coming from Crimean Rose High, but was transferred here due to some—issues. I expect that my first year here in Tellius University will be a great one." Elincia spoke. We clap politely and she returns to her seat. By the way she speaks; she apparently is from some high-class house as well.

"She's not that bad," I comment to Callil. "She speaks eloquently." As Callil was about to reply to me, Ms. Serra caught us. "You, over there with the turquoise hair! Would you like to be our next 'victim'?" Oh boy, I am so toast. "And after her, would you like to be our next speaker, Callil?" Serra grins. Callil pouted but made no remark.

_End notes: Awww! Lucia's off to a bad start! What else could happen that could ruin this year?_

_Authors notes: Why is Lucia so young and she's already in High School? You may ask. _

_Back in my country, you start off with three preparatory levels before entering grade 1. Children start attending these preparatory levels at around 4. When you enter the elementary level (Grades 1-6), you must be around 6 or 7. After Grade 6, you graduate to High School, and most students are around 13 to 18. High School is four years, then you're off to college. _

_To those who can figure out what school is this based from (hint: it's my alma mater), well, good for you! _


	2. Jounal 2: Reports

**Journal 2: Reports**

"Bummer, huh?" Callil told me as we file out from the classroom for recess. "I think we made a kinda bad spot out there. Don't feel bad, beshie! It happens." Callil continued. I didn't say anything, I really felt bummed that we gave Serra a bad first impression. Callil and I hurry to meet the rest of our gang—Jorge and Largo (of course) from 3C. "Hey Cal!" he says, kissing Callil on the cheek. "How's it going?"

"Just fine." She giggles. Jorge and I exchange glances and sigh. Once Callil is with any of her boyfriends, we're totally ignored. "C'mon, Lucy, let's go buy some food! I hear they're selling churros at the 5th floor café." "Sure," I reply. "We'll catch up to them in awhile."

Recess is cool, we do catching up with some of our old classmates. It's only 30 minutes, though. But it's about enough to finish any homework you may have forgotten for the next subject. Freshmen and Sophos rarely eat during this time, 'cause our lunch is only an hour away.

Too soon for us, our break is over and we go back to our classroom. Already waiting for us is our History teacher, Wil. He has slicked-back red hair and is quite short, but he has the looks. I heard that he's courting Rebecca, another History teacher. "Good morning guys!" he says. "Good morning Mr. Wil." "Since it's your 2nd year, we'll be studying Tellian history!" he continues. "OK, the first thing I want you to do is to present to me a report about different timelines of Tellius."

"WHAAAAT!?" Callil protests. "It's only our first meeting and you're already giving us reports!?" "Don't be too hasty, uh—what's your name again?" Wil responded. "Callil," my friend answered sulkily. "…Callil alright! As I was saying, I won't make it individual reports, you guys will be divided into groups."

A collective groan was heard, the loudest coming from the smart students. Wil didn't seem to mind, though. "First group will be consisted of Lucia, Astrid, Elincia, Shinon and Soren."

_Darn it!_ I thought, _not only am I stuck with the geeks, Shinon and Soren hate each other like hell! Those guys can't work as a team! _Callil had the same horrified expression on her face. "Beshie! We're not on the same group!" she wailed. "That's obvious," I tell her, feeling the heat seep to my brain. I began thinking of all the possible ways for revenge, but before I knew it, Wil told us to meet up with our groups.

"Hey there," Elincia smiled. Well, up close I had to admit, Elincia wasn't half as bad as I thought. "Let's make this a fun and lively report. Since we are assigned with Pre-historic Tellius, we'll start when the Goddess Ashunera came to this world." _Since when has this gal learned so much?_ I thought.

"I'd like to make an acquaintance with each one of you, if you don't mind." She continued. "Not gonna happen." Shinon said, crossing his arms defiantly. "Speak for yourself." Soren grumbled. "I see," Elincia said; her pride obviously hurt. Usually I don't voice my opinion in Shinon's presence—he's the ultimate class bully. But something sparked in me that I couldn't help snapping.

"Blast it, Shinon! Can't you mind your manners in front of a woman?! A new student too, at that!" I said. Shinon was shocked as my words sank into him, I can tell 'cause of his unusually wide eyes. He hasn't 

been scolded in awhile, I bet. "C'mon, dude, listen to her for once. Do you want her to ditch us? And I bet she can get your grades up enough to put you back in the archery club!"

At the mention of "archery club", Shinon sat at full attention. In a sickeningly fake voice, he said, "Oh, I'm sorry Elincia. I guess I should start treating girls with more respect." He grinned. "I'll agree to do whatever you ask me to." Soren rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't believe him if I were—" "Quiet, Soren, At least we got him to co-operate now." Astrid said.

I was reaching for the thick blue History book when I felt Elincia's gaze on me. "Thanks," she mouthed, and smiled. I feel myself blush but quickly hide behind my history book. Astrid began to explain what we had to do to make this report and presentation a certain A+.

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After our dismissal, I bid Callil goodbye and join up with Marcia for Dance practice. "Hey Marcia! Looking forward to another year of dance?" Marcia smiled. "Yup, of course. Uh—you don't mind passing by the gym before we change to our dance clothes?"

I can sense something's bothering her, but I didn't dwell on it. Pasting a smile on my face, I nod. "Yeah, sure. No problem." "Cool. C'mon, let's go!" Marcia dragged me by the hand and we go to the section of the gym reserved for practices. It dawns on me that she was going to see Jill, who is part of the Girl's basketball club. Before we approached the players, Marcia turned back to me. "Lucy, you're one of my very best friends. Please don't tell anyone what you're gonna see, and promise me we'll remain friends no matter what."

I nod dumbly, wondering what was up with Marcia. Is she doing drugs? Is she in the "wrong crowd"? I watch as she trots over to Jill. They exchanged a laugh, and something else—a kiss.

_What the—_I think. _I thought they were only "friends", but…!_ Jill and Marcia exchanged a few more words and Jill kissed Marcia on the cheek. "I'll see you after school!" I heard Marcia tell Jill as she walked back toward me. Jill waves and hurries back to the court.

"Wha-what just happened!?" I sputtered out. "Are you and Jill…?" "Dating? Yes. Girlfriends? Indeed." Marcia answered. "You promised that you won't tell anybody!" "I-I promise." I said, starting to get over my shock. "I'm still your friend, and that's not gonna change." I assured her. "Thanks Lucy." She smiled. "But tell me something—I thought she was dating Haar?" I continued on. Haar was from 4D, captain of the Men's Basketball club.

Marcia sighed, and said, "Well—Jill broke up with Haar because she said he focused too much on basketball instead of their relationship." "Oh, I see…" I respond. We were both silent as we went to the bathroom to change.

Occurrences like these weren't uncommon, but I didn't think that one of my friends actually turned to that. One example was Sephiran from 4C and Zelgius from 4A. They came out in third year and weren't accepted as they had hoped. Having a relationship like that was complicated, but so far they're 

persevering. Many girls (mine included) shake their heads sadly, 'cause Zelgius was one of the hottest looking guys in the school.

As we walk into the dance hall, our instructor, Vaida, approached us. "Hello, girls. I'm glad to see two of my most promising members coming back for another year!" Marcia grinned. "We wouldn't trade this club for anything, ma'am." "Good, but remember! You must keep your grades up!" Vaida reminded us. We nod, knowing that a "C" would cost us our membership.

Vaida storms out and looks over the hedges searching for the other missing members. "Where are those girls!? We have to start now if we want to look good in our monthly assembly!" Marcia and I laugh, since we are usually the earliest to arrive.

_End Notes: So we're starting to warm up on pairings! Heehee! Even if Tellius is co-ed, they're still having gender troubles. So expect a bit of yaoi, a cup of yuri, and a dash of het. 'Til next time, take care!_

**churros**-fried batter dipped in chocolate


	3. Journal 3: Clubbing

**Journal 3: Clubbing**

A knock on the door startled Marcia and I. Vaida moved over to open it, and several of our old members tumbled in. "Hey girl!" Mia called out. "I'm glad you're still here!" following her were Ena and Petrine, both from 4B. Mia is from 2C, my batchmate. She along with Nepheenee was transferred, unfortunately. "Mia!" I called out, bouncing my fist off hers. "Likewise to you!"

We were all chattering happily until Vaida called for our attention. "Girls, let's welcome our newest member, Elincia from 2A!" Heads quickly turned to the door as the setting sun bounced off Elincia's hair, filling the room with a soft green glow. "Wooow…" Mia breathed. "Newbie?" "Yeah," I replied. "She's in our class." "Cool!" Mia said. "Another backup dancer!"

I really didn't know how to react. Should I be excited that a classmate of mine joined? Or should I be jealous? Or surprised?

I didn't have time to think either, because Elincia spotted me and quickly sat beside me. She seems to be stuck on me like a burr to a topcoat. "Well, well! I see you already made an acquaintance." Vaida said, sounding mighty pleased. "All the better, Lucia can teach you the ropes."

"Wha—what!? Me, ma'am?! But I have to have some time to learn the choreography!" I protested. No way in hell was I going to teach this newbie!

"Nonsense, Lucia. You're one of our most promising dancers." Vaida said nonchalantly.

"True," Petrine said, "she learns the choreo mighty fast. Who would believe she needs time?" The other girls hooted, signaling their agreement. "Ma'am Vaida, if Lucia cannot teach me, it's alright with me. I'll try to learn it on my own."

"Elincia," Vaida said, making eye contact with the newbie, "in this club, we're all family. We dance together, toil together, perform together. Lucia has no right to refuse you." "But if her heart isn't in it…" "It has to be." Vaida said firmly.

I knew I was in trouble the minute that tough woman began marching towards me. "Lucia, come over here, I want to talk to you." I swallowed and meekly followed Vaida.

OK, it's not entirely Elincia's fault that I have another 10 minute sermon, but hey, she's the one who stuck to me, so….

"Lucia, I'm disappointed that you refused to be Elincia's mentor. Why, are you two in a fight?" Vaida asked me, looking at me dead in the eye. "Not really, ma'am." I mumbled. "It's just that I feel quite uneasy teaching a classmate."

"Give others a chance, Lucia. You may find very surprising things about them." Vaida told me as she led me back to the hall. Vaida pushed opened the door and we saw the other girls gaping, but it was certainly not at us. Following their gaze, it led to Elincia, who was doing graceful ballet moves. She twirled around and leaned forward. Following that move was a cartwheel ending in a split.

The girls cheered and clapped, even "Petrine the petrified". "You know," Mia said, approaching the green-haired girl, "Petrine doesn't usually approve newbies." "It was nothing, really," Elincia blushed. The girls continued clapping until Vaida cleared her throat.

Everyone stopped and began paying attention to our mentor.

"As you all know, at the end of every month the entire student body gathers to watch the clubs in this school strut their stuff," Vaida began. "Usually, I look forward to this because I know that you girls enjoy having those calls of approval, and all eyes on you. So remember, whenever you feel I'm pushing you to the limit, it's for your own good, not mine. Remember, the cheers will all be for you."

Everyone cheered a 'huzzah'! and we all run to grab our warm-up mats. Remembering Vaida's words to me, about being a 'mentor' and all that, I motioned to Elincia to follow me. "Come on, I'll show you were the mats are. We use these for stretching and warming-up, generally." I explained, giving Elincia one. "You have to be fast, or the other girls will beat you to getting the best ones."

"Alright," Elincia grinned. "Thank you, Lucia." At first, I thought she was thanking me for explaining that, but it turns out she had more to add. "Thank you for allowing me to be your tutee." I blushed a little, but it was out of embarrassment, mind you! Thank Ashera I was able to respond coherently. "It's nothing, really." I mouth, and I showed her our corner of the gym where we would be practicing.

After a couple of warm-up stretches, Vaida gives us a 10-minute break. Some girls dash off to guzzle water, but some of us were too tired to do anything at all. The latter group included Elincia and myself. As we lay sprawled on our mats, we watch the other clubs filing in.

The first one included the ever-famous Marching Band led by Nils. The band loves him, 'cause he does his best in trying to teach them to learn their instruments and he never scolds unless they're really unruly.

The next club was the Folk Dance club, where "willing" students learned the ancient rain dances, victory dances, and whatnot dances our ancestors offered unto Ashera. It's not all bad, they learn old courtship dances and ballroom dancing as well. But I still prefer the Modern Dance, though. This club's led by Nils' sister Ninian. Like her brother, she's very refined and kind. That's the only thing I wished we had about the Folk dance, instead of dealing with Vaida the meanie…

Our glee club has their own practice venue to themselves, the choir room, so they don't come up here much except to practice their dance steps. They're doubling as a drama club, so they have to sing and dance. They're led by Sonia. I haven't heard much about her, but there are rumors…I'll get to that later.

Too soon, it seemed, our little break was over, and Vaida claps her hands and cranks up the stereo (on purpose) to fill the gym with music (_our _music, one thing I like about her). And it goes this way until either Nils or Ninian asks her to turn it down.

_**End notes:**__ OK, Lucia introduces the clubs here! Sorry if it's kinda boring! Hmmm…wonder what "rumors" abound with Sonia? Find out soon! _

_Thank you __**Roxius**__ for the first review! I'm glad to know someone's enjoying this story. Yeah, a cup is bigger than a pinch or dash by a long run (wink, wink!)_

_**Next:**__ The competition for the "principal's approval" heats up as the last Tuesday of the month approaches rapidly. Lucia trains Elincia in her steps and gets a surprising response. _


	4. Journal 4: Assemblies

**Journal 4: Tuesday Assemblies**

Hmmm…if I had to describe how these past weeks have been on me, it would be one word—brutal. Elincia's a quick learner. I'm proud of her and all, but all these tutoring activities is taking a strain on my studies. It's not Elincia's fault—it's Vaida's. Dang that hag.

So far, the stress I've been feeling inside isn't showing up yet. In fact, I hope it doesn't show up at all!

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Another tough day of Academics, then I find myself in the gymnasium sprawled over the warm-up mat while Vaida reminds us that our Tuesday Assembly was next week. Whoa—wait a minute, NEXT WEEK?! How the heck could I be able to practice that much? "Remember, Dance club!" Vaida said, clapping her hands for attention, "we want the principal's approval for this month! I'd like to see you in tip-top shape when we have our last rehearsal next Thursday!"

Principal's Approval meant that Eliwood would choose who had the best performance this month. The benefits are different from month to month, for example, it's now June. The "Principal's Approval" for this month is that the winning club gets to choose a theme for our "Acquaintance Party". That party is where the entire High School Student Body gets to know each other's batch.

Well, the approval for June's kinda lame, I want to win the one for October or December. October's PA makes us get to choose where our "Club outing" will be, while December's PA gives us the benefit of choosing were we would like perform in the Christmas Season, be it in another school, a mall…or even another country! I've got my sights set on Begnion, Sephiran always tells us how beautiful it is back there…

"Hey, Lucy!" Marcia said, nudging me. "Hunh--?" I ask, my mind plummeting back to earth. "What theme do you plan to have this year?" "I don't know…" I shrug, "Historical Tellius?" "When we all wore armor and all? Looks like Sir Wil's project has gotten into you." Giggled my rose-haired friend. "Oh, not really." I laughed along. "By the way," Marcia continued as we stacked up our mats, "I can't give you a ride home, sorry. I'm going over at Jill's."

Ever since that fateful day I saw Marcia and Jill exchange that kiss in the basketball court, let's just say—I haven't really seen her in the same light anymore. But I promised Marcia I'd be with her no matter what, so I guess I have to support her in this. Let's just hope that if I do drugs or something, she'd support me too. Hey, I was just kidding about the last part!

"Alright," I nod, "I'll catch you tomorrow, then." Marcia hugged me and trotted off to her waiting girl. In a blur of Scarlet and Pink, the duo was gone. I sighed as I trudged to the gym lockers. Most of the girls already left by the time I got there—except Elincia. "Hey there, Ellie." I greeted, managing a limp wave. All those practices must be taking their toll on me, I was beat. Can't even offer my tutee a proper wave. "Ellie? I like that." Elincia beamed at me, and I find a blush creeping to my cheeks. Maybe it's just the heat.

"May I help you with something?" I asked her. "No, I kinda overheard what you and Marcia were discussing back there," Elincia said, shaking her head, "I'm sorry, I know it's kinda eavesdropping. But—may I offer you a ride home?"

Great! Looks like my time with Elincia isn't wasted after all. She's finally showing her usefulness. "Wow—thanks." I reply, trying not to sound too eager. "You sure it's not out of your way?" "Nope," Elincia replied nonchalantly. "My chauffeur won't mind, really." "Thanks…Ellie." I smile. She smiled back, and I tried hard not to comment on her beautiful smile. Grabbing our bags, we chatter excitedly as we head down. The gymnasium was _in_conveniently placed on the 10th floor, so it would take us awhile to get down.

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It would be a lie to say that _nothing _happened on the car ride home. The only thing which developed between Elincia and I was a friendship. She's fun, smart, and down-to-earth. She wasn't the geeky kid I envisioned during the first day. She showed a keen interest in swords, like me. While I prefer the noble Silver Sword, she showed favor towards the Amiti, the Crimean royal sword. I found out we liked the same songs, and, oddly, the same food. I believe we could have been sisters in our past lives.

"Wow! Was that the latest SUV you came out of, sis?" Geoffrey said, rushing to meet me at the door and relieve me of my book bag. "Yeah," I shrugged. "My classmate Elincia brought me home." Elincia smiled through the window. "Hey, Ellie," I said, approaching the window, "you're not staying for a drink or something?"

In Crimea it would be rude not to offer a guest at least something before they leave, but they have a right to refure.

"No, thanks." Elincia smiled again. "It's getting late. Uncle Renning might be worried." "OK," I said, leaning against the door, "I'll see you tomorrow, then?" "Count on it." Elincia replied. She had a stray lock of hair, and this time I didn't resist the urge to affix it behind her ear. In doing so, my hand brushed against her cheek. _Oh, Ashera!! _I thought, _what a silken cheek! _Elincia seemed to enjoy the semi-caress, much to my surprise. She pressed her cheek harder against my palm and her hands held my wrist for a blissful moment.

Suddenly, her amber eyes opened and she gently removed my palm. "I'm sorry, Lucia. Was that—inappropriate?" "Not at all…" I gasped, exhilarated by that moment, "…not at all." "I have to go." She repeated. "I'll see you tomorrow." "Yeah, tomorrow." I reply. She leaned out of the window and gave me a kiss on the cheek. Without a word, she retreated to her van and the chauffeur drove off into the inky blackness, the taillights quickly disappearing from view.

"…" I turned and began walking up the stone path to the manor. "Lucia!" my maid Eliza exclaimed, "you're late this evening. Your mother would be worried." "She's not home yet anyway," I said, "consider me late only if I arrive home after her."

Eliza nodded, and she began preparing dinner. I flopped to my bed and checked the digital clock beside my bed. 7:45 pm. Hmmm…Eliza was right. It was quite late. Before I could reach for my Algebra book, my brother stuck his head inside my room. "What happened to 'knock before you enter'?!" I asked, quite annoyed that he disturbed me. "Sorry," he grinned, flopping down beside me on the bed, "I just couldn't help noticing one of your classmates." "Which one?" I asked warily. "The green-haired one, the one who brought you home." He replied. _Damn. _I thought. Suddenly, I wondered why I suddenly felt jealous and wanted to keep Elincia to myself. It's not like I'm a jealous lover, right? Right. I'm straight…hey, don't change the subject!

"What about her?" my blue eyes traveled to meet my brother's. Considering the same shade of hair we had and same blue of eyes, I wonder if we are fraternal twins. "Well, she's kinda, I dunno, hot." He shrugged, and grinned again. I wanted to smack him on the head that moment. "Would you introduce me to her?" "Nah, you'll see her when we perform onstage. You're gonna be standing there anyway, right?" I said, trying to mask my annoyance in form of a joke.

Did I mention he joined the Combat Leadership Club? That's one club I forgot to mention. When they train poor, gullible students like my brother in the art of combat, promising ranks in exchange for their sweat, blood and tears. Anyway…

"Yeah, I'll be standing near the stage." Geoffrey nodded, "I can watch you guys perform." "Cool," I mumbled, "maybe she'll ask the autograph of her knight in shining armor when she's done performing." Ah, the magic of reverse psychology. "Maybe," Geoffrey repeated hopefully, "I hope so. But if she doesn't, promise to introduce me to her?" "Don't get your hopes up, though! What chance does a freshman like you have with a sophomore?" I tell him.

"I dunno," he grinned, "but I know you'll make a way." "When you leave my room now, maybe. Mark time, march, soldier! Left, left! Left, right, left!" I barked. Geoffrey hopped off my bed. "Thanks sis." He grinned and marched out of my room. I shook my head and went back to my abandoned algebra book.

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**Tuesday:**

The Assembly began at 8:30am, so by 7:00 am, all the clubs are doing warm ups to seek the PA. I looked around for Elincia, hoping to ask her to be my push-ups partner, but Petrine blocked my way. "H-hey, Petrine," I gulped. "Hey there, Lucia." She replied, "looks like we don't have partners, hmmm? What about being mine?" There was something scary about this senior, so I had no choice but to comply. Besides, you should never refuse a senior; that was an unwritten law. "Yes ma'am!" I said, sounding more enthusiastic than I felt.

Before we knew it, it was showtime. We spilled into the stage right after Nil's marching band, who played a wonderful repertoire. I'm not sure about most of the songs they played, but I was swept away by their rendition of the old gladr, "Life Returns". "And now may I present to you—the modern dance club!" Makalov said. He was the student emcee for the month. Did I say he was also Marcia's brother?

As we took our positions waiting for our audio, I saw Geoffrey posted near the door. His eyes weren't on me, though. It was on Elincia. So much for moral support.

Our dance number was perfect, not a single mistake! I was glad we were greeted with a roar of approval, though I'm not too enthusiastic about the prize. Right now, I was more concerned with the matters at hand. Is Geoffrey falling for "_my_" tutee?

_**End notes:**__ Thanks again to all those who read and reviewed! Sorry, I'm kinda busy now. But updates will come faster than this, now that things are heating up! Who will win the PA? Why is Lucia so jealous about Geoffrey's apparent interest in Elincia? Until next time! _


	5. Journal 5: Conflicts

**Journal 5: Conflicts**

I didn't have time to dwell on my petty jealousy. As the last club finished their performance, Makalov crawled back to the stage and grasped his cue cards. "Well! Thanks for that amazing performance!" Makalov clichéd, "Now, let's wait a few moments before Principal Eliwood makes his final decision!"

Since the gymnasium had a backstage, all the performers that evening were clustered around there. Lots of pushing and shoving, it's not really a pretty sight.

"Oooh…I can't wait!" Mia squealed, "I really hope we win."

"I'm gonna sizzle anyone who stands in our way of winning!" Petrine said, flexing her arm.

"Ssh!" Vaida shushed us, "if you girls keep talking, we might hear by mistake who the winner is!"

"Well, if it was another club and we mistook it as ours, isn't that a good thing?" Mia asked.

"SSSSSSHHH!" Vaida glared at Mia. "I'm gonna feed you to my pet wyvern if you don't keep your trap shut, Mia!"

"Eeep…" Mia sighed.

I was standing beside Elincia, and I felt her shiver unconsciously. "Are you nervous, Ellie?" I asked her. Ever since the night of the car-ride, that was my special nickname for her. "Not really," she shivered, rubbing her arms, "I'm just not used to the air conditioner being this strong."

Instinctively I wrapped my arms around her. "You'll be fine," I murmured, "nothing's gonna chill you while I'm here." "Thanks, Lucia." She smiled, sending shivers down my spine. I found a quiet corner away from the chaotic backstage, and since there were no chairs, I sat on the floor with Elincia.

We were still in an embrace and in a compromising position, and we knew it. Regardless, we cuddled on. The other performers were still waiting in bated breath for the PA.

Elincia sighed and laid her head on my chest. "I feel safe with you, Lucia." She murmured. I smiled, and with one arm supporting her, I freed the other arm and stroked her green locks. "I'll never let you go, my princess." I whispered. And I meant every word of it.

* * *

I don't know how long it took Eliwood to announce his decision, since he often peppers his speeches with "you did great", "everybody's a winner but only one can be the best" and all that jazz.

What I knew for sure is that it was long enough for Elincia and me to fall asleep, because the next thing I knew, my teammates were storming to the back with scowls on their faces. "Darn it, the Band won…" Marcia groaned. "Wonder what motif they'll choose."

"Hey, what are you two doing on the floor?" Mia queried Elincia and me.

"I was trying to hide from Eliwood's announcement." I joked.

Mia and Marcia laughed. "OK and we deliver it to you."

"Harhar." I laughed. "Oh well, there are better PA rewards in the following months." I helped Elincia to her feet. "So, who won?" Elincia asked, the sleepiness in her eyes being replaced by excitement. "It's the Band," Petrine clicked her tongue in disgust. "I suggest we all start running for cover because Ma'am Vaida's gonna have our necks."

We all agreed and grabbed out clothes to change and quickly run to our classrooms for another regular day. While waiting in the changing room for Elincia, Marcia took my hand. "You've got a moment, Lucia?" she asked. "Sure," I shrugged. I didn't care whether or not I'd miss another lecture of Sir Wil's, anyway.

"Are you and Elincia…?" she whispered.

My eyes grew in horror. "No!" I said, "We're just friends, that's all!"

"Oh, I see." Marcia grinned. "I was in denial before, too. But if you need someone to unload all those uncertain feelings, I'm here, OK?"

"OK…" I reply uncertainly. I watched Marcia skip out of the changing room and soon disappeared into the wave of students.

I sigh and shake my head. It's not true, right? We're just friends. That's all. Period.

I wait for Elincia to finish changing to her uniform. "Lucia, I'm glad you waited for me." Elincia smiled. "Of course," I respond, "I'm waiting for my tutee." "Heehee," she giggled. "Is that all there is to it?"

Oh boy, first it was Marcia, and now it's Elincia.

"Hehe…" I tried a grin, "let's go catch up to our classmates, what do you say?"

"Sure," Elincia replied.

"You did great there, sis!" Geoffrey gushed. Ashera knows how he caught up with me in this pandemonium. He wasn't staring at me, more on Elincia to be exact. Too bad this isn't turning out to be a "one-two-three-eyes one me" thing. "Thanks," I mumbled, firmly holding Elincia's wrist. "Too bad the band won, though." Geoffrey continued.

"Don't rub it in, brother." I growled.

"He's your brother?" Elincia asked me. I quickly steal a glance at her eyes, but there was more of a questioning look about it than interest. "Yes, yes he is." I answer. "Pleased to make your acquaintance." Geoffrey said gallantly. "Likewise." Elincia nodded.

I sighed in relief when Elincia's eyes diverted from Geoffrey, signaling the conversation over. Perhaps the little happening in the backstage meant something to her.

As soon as I reached my locker, Geoffrey was still following me. "Hello, shouldn't you have left me around 5 minutes ago?" I told him.

Geoffrey smacked his head. "What's your problem now, 2nd lieutenant Geoffrey?" I asked dryly.

"Oh, sis! May I borrow your English Book? I left mine at home." Geoffrey moaned. "Ma'am Isadora's gonna kill me!" "Yeah, sure. Just make sure to give it back to me after lunch." I said, giving him the literature. "Alright! Thanks, you're the best. And…see you later, Elincia." Geoffrey said, giving Elincia a goofy look.

I shook my head and turned to the classroom, still holding hands with Elincia. But since she sat in the front and I had chosen the back seat, it was now time to part. She gave me a wistful look and our hands took quite a while to separate. Finally, I broke our gaze and ambled over to Callil.

"Hey there, Cal!" I greeted. Callil raised her head, startled. "'Ey there, Lucia! Nice dancing." Callil replied, bending her head over something she was scribbling.

"What are you doing?" I asked her. "Nothing really, just sketching something for Largo." Callil said, a dreamy look on her face. "By the way, you don't mind if I go with Valtome's clique for lunch? I heard they're discussing a party for this weekend."

"But weren't we going to have a get-together this weekend?" I asked, trying to correct Callil.

Callil paused in applying her gloss. "Lucia, I've got a confession to make," she said, "You know how you outgrow clothes, right? In a friendship, best friends 'outgrow' each other too."

"What are you getting at?" I asked her, fearing the truth.

"Lucia, Lucia, Lucia," Callil said sadly, "in all your intelligence you fail to grasp the truth? I'll be blunt. Ever since the history project, you've been hanging out with that Elincia character…"

"That's 'cause you keep hanging out with Largo!" I cut in. "And I can't help it that she chose to join the Dance Club!"

"Don't interrupt me, Lucia," Callil warned, shaking a finger in front of my face, "As I was saying, you also lost interest in what _really _matters: boys, make-up and parties! You've made the trade for the grade. Our priorities are changing now."

I don't know what the hell Largo did with the old Callil I used to know—the one I'm talking to right now is a total Psycho! "Fine, if you see it that way." I scoff. But the better part of me kicked in. Even if I was hurt to the bone, I still managed to ask, "We can still be friends, though, right?"

"Sure, Lucia." Callil said nonchalantly. She shrugged as if it were no big deal. "Still friends."

I smiled. "I guess since you put it that way, I may have to hang out with a new crowd, now, eh?" "I guess so, yeah." Callil said again.

I began gathering my things. "Where are you going?" Callil called out.

"To a new seat," I called back, "a new seatmate, and a new life." I plunked my things in Elincia's desk, and her amber eyes caught mine. She gave me a bright smile, and at that moment, I knew there was no turning back.

_**End notes: **__Too bad for Lucia! Callil's all grown up now. But she'll still be able to be friends…I think! Thanks again to all my supporters! 'Til next update! More Lucia/Elincia goodness coming! _

_BTW…who can be paired with Titania? Any suggestions? _


	6. Journal 6: Languages

_**MS Word: **__in this chapter, I'm going to introduce one of the other Yuri pairings here: it's Louise/Isadora! If you don't know them, they're from FE7. Sorry, not much Lucia/Elincia love in this chapter!_

**Journal 6: Languages**

A week passed since I moved away from Callil. We've still been treating each other cordially, but I feel like that certain spark of friendship is gone. Anyway, with Callil out of my life (temporarily, I hope), I was able to focus more on my studies. Elincia is a perfect study buddy; she keeps me on my toes because she has sort of a competitive edge.

But that wasn't what I was going to tell you about.

It was about our English teacher, Isadora.

She's one of the most beautiful teachers in the faculty, and word has it that she was "hurting" because she recently broke off with another English teacher, Harken. Harken was the English teacher for the third-years, and Isadora is the teacher of the sophomores.

We didn't really know of their relationship, until one day when the normally prim and proper Isadora came to class with her face all flushed and crying.

She had no heart to teach, so we just spent the first quarter-hour trying to help her get over it. That isn't what made the comfort-class unique, though.

While we were trying to comfort our heartbroken English teacher, Louise came in. "Who's Louise?" You may ask. Here's my introduction to her.

Louise is a fourth-year teacher, she teaches French. And she fits the part; after all, she's "lived the language". It's said that she was born in the country of Etruria, where French is their native tongue.

She was one of the most envied teachers in the faculty, well-known for her natural beauty, enchanting charm, and polite ways. With Blonde hair and Violet eyes, she was sure to turn the heads of both male and female teachers. I heard a while back that she is engaged to Pent, the Physics teacher.

Anyway, back to my story. Louise came in and took Isadora outside. Before leaving, Isadora scribbled on a piece of paper and gave it to our class secretary. Undoubtedly, it was a seatwork.

Since my shared desk with Elincia was near the window, we were both able to look at what those two were doing. We couldn't hear what they said, but they seemed too…intimate to be just to be comforting one another.

**Normal POV**

"I don't know why he would leave me, Louise," Isadora sobbed, blissfully ignorant of the two nosy students watching them through the window. "I gave him all I had, my time, my efforts, my money…" Isadora continued. "But not yourself?" the blonde vixen asked, quirking an eyebrow. "N-no…" Isadora's voice shook a bit as she spoke, "I was saving that for marriage."

Louise sighed. "I didn't mean '_that_', I mean, did you feel 100 percent you when you were around him? Or did you show him an artificial side of yourself?"

"Well…I guess I had my artificiality a bit high." Isadora confessed.

"That's the problem, I guess," Louise said, "'pride makes us artificial, humility makes us real'."

"I know that, but…he seems so…sophisticated. Even if we are both Pherae's citizens, he was born and raised in Begnion, where everything is more refined. What would he want from a rough city girl like me?" Isadora wailed.

"Don't put your self-esteem down, Isadora," Louise said, stroking the indigo beauty's cheek, "you are very beautiful. You are by no means rough…" Louise leaned closer and whispered in Isadora's ear, "…until you are in the bed."

Isadora began blushing and Louise began stroking the English teacher's arms. The soft white hands moving smoothly along her limbs made Isadora shudder. Louise leaned to Isadora's left, bearing in mind that it was the direction which faced away from the window. The French teacher gently nibbled on Isadora's neck, and the blue beauty shuddered from the feeling.

A groan of disappointment escaped Isadora's mouth as Louise disconnected herself from her. "Are you feeling better now, mon amie?" Louise asked, a smug smile gracing her features. Isadora rubbed her neck and smiled. "I feel more real with you, Louise, than any other man I have been with." Isadora commented. "That's good, then," Louise responded, "Perhaps we can see each other after school?"

"Definitely," Isadora smiled.

Louise beamed back. "No more tears, then." She said, wiping away Isadora's trail of tears. "The only tears I would be seeing from you are tears of joy."

Isadora gave Louise a longing look, and walked back to the classroom.

**Lucia's POV**

Well, see what I mean? What could they have done? Why would Louise wipe away Isadora's tears without a tissue? Or, why would Isadora allow another teacher to do that?

I can tell Elincia was as baffled as I was in watching the exchange. As they were still talking, I turned to Elincia and shrugged a sigh of defeat. "Well, we certainly can't decipher what they're saying, so why don't we make up our own story about them? You know, just for fun?" I suggested.

Elincia laughed, and said, "That sounds like a fun idea. What's the plot?"

"Ummmm…" I began thinking, "what about Isadora was this teacher whose heart got broken by thousands of guys…"

"..and she begins hating guys and falls in love with a co-worker named Louise…" Elincia continued.

"…but she's unsure if this Louise would reciprocate the idea…" I layered on.

"…and they try to play around each other trying to get the other woman to confess first." Elincia finished.

"Of course, we need a plot twist." I said.

"That would come later," Elincia said, starting to write down the plot lines, "it's like, uh…refinement."

"Yeah, sure." I agreed. "If this were an essay for creative writing, I bet we would win first place." Elincia grinned. "I agree." I smiled.

As I watched Elincia scribble down the plot, I began thinking as well. What story have I began writing? Girl/girl love? And how does Elincia seem to be a…natural in that? Well, who knows. Maybe she's just being creative.

Since lots of my classmates were piling up on Isadora, I turned my eyes lazily to the window. A group of teachers were walking by. I recognized a few, such as Sir Matthew, Sir Hector, Ma'am Priscilla, and Sir Hugh. Trailing behind were Ma'am Sonia and Ma'am Ursula. If you remember my previous entry, Sonia is the Glee club teacher. Ursula is our biology teacher.

I didn't see anything out of the ordinary—until Sonia and Ursula shared a discreet kiss on the lips. My eyes flew open in shock, and I quickly turned away from the window, cradling my aching head in my hands. What is this school coming to?!

* * *

_**End Notes:**__ Well, looks like Tellius High is far from co-ed! Stay tuned for the upcoming chapters. So the pairings so far which I have uncovered are: Lucia/Elincia, Jill/Marcia, Largo/Callil, Sonia/Ursula, and Isadora/Louise. _

_Thanks to __**Striche**__, __**LittleLinor**__, and __**LegendarySilverX**__ for the latest reviews, especially those with helpful suggestions for who goes well with Titania.I'm considering how to add other pairings without taking away the main plot. I won't quit on this story, guys! Thank you so much for sticking with me ;)_

_**FE Refresher, for those who are not familiar with FE6/7 characters:**_

_**Louise-**__ Countess Reglay, wife of Pent, mother of Clarine and Kline. A sniper class in FE7.  
__**Isadora-**__ personal bodyguard to Queen Eleanora, mother of Eliwood. A paladinclass in FE7.  
__**Sonia-**__ Nergal's "perfect morph". Wife of Brendan Reed and controls the Black Fang behind the scenes. She slowly corrupts the once honorable organization. Sage class in FE7, Boss of Chapter 26x (28x in Hector's route).  
__**Ursula-**__ Sonia's most loyal subordinate. Boss of chapter 26 (28, Hector's route). If you don't kill her, Limstella will. Valkyrie class in FE7. _


	7. Journal 7: Reasons

_**MS Word: **__Due to multiple pairings starting to appear right now, I'll post a "main pairing" at the beginning of each chapter so you'll know who to expect. Don't worry, their stories are all intertwined. How, why, when and where? You'll know soon enough :)_

**Journal 7: Reasons  
****Main Pairing for this chapter: **Lucia/Elincia

With homework and dinner out of the way, I finally had some time to myself. I really needed to think, because lately, it's like the people around me are egging me to confess my feelings for Elincia.

First, there was Jill and Marcia. Then the little scene with Louise and Isadora, followed by Sonia and Ursula. Everybody was having thier own girl now, albeit discreetly.

I, for one, was not following trends, but this wasn't a matter of fashion, it was a matter of the heart. First of all, if I did confess to Elincia I loved her, would she accept me as I am? Second, if she did, would we be accepted? Or would we have to hide undercover and be discreet about it? And third…what would our parents say?

Turning to Geoffrey wouldn't give me any peace of mind. He's homophobic, and he likes Elincia too. Ugh, so much for moral support.

I think I still had my pillow mashed against my face since I didn't hear the sudden thud of my door being opened. What I did hear, however, was Geoffrey's muffled voice. "Hey Lucia!" he called, in a slightly conspirational tone, "look what I've got!"

I was too depressed to move the pillow off my face, so Geoffrey did it for me. "C'mon, sis! Up up up!" he encouraged me. I sluggishly propped my body up. "What do you want to show me, Geoffrey?"

"Look," he said, reaching behind him and pulling a small velvet case. He opened it, and inside was an intricately done floral ring. It had lovely rubies which made up the petals, and emeralds made up the stem.

"It's beautiful…" I gasped, "is it for me?"

Geoffrey slammed the case shut and moved it away from me. Like I was going to eat it or something. "It's not your birthday, is it?" his brow furrowed worriedly.

"No," I said, "and I was just kidding. I know you wouldn't give your dear sister something like that. So, seriously, who's it for?"

Geoffrey moved closer to my ear. "It's for Elincia," he whispered, "I'm going to ask her to be my girlfriend."

_Why the hell do you need a ring to ask?!_ I thought angrily.

"When do you plan on asking her?" I asked fearfully, clutching the pillow to my chest. If that pillow were alive, it would scream for air.

"Tomorrow," he replied, a dreamy look coming over his face.

"What?! You're crazy, little brother! It's not like you're going to marry her!" I nearly shouted the last line. "Besides, what does a freshman like you think there's a chance she'll like you?"

"Why does it bother you so much?" Geoffrey immediately switched to his cool and calm tone. The one I hate.

Checkmate, he seemed to leer at me.

"It's not like you love her do you?" he said in a sing-song voice. "You know full well what happens if mother and father knows you're a…"

"I AM NOT A LESBIAN!" I yelled a Geoffrey, hurling my pillow at him. The little brat was too quick for me, however, and closed the door.

The pillow bounced off harmlessly, and the door opened a crack. "The early bird gets the worm," he said triumphantly. Geoffrey quickly shut the door before I hurled any more projectiles at him.

+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

The next day, I tried to keep Elincia away from Geoffrey as much as possible. I didn't want her to answer him. Elincia seemed to sense my apprehension, however.

"Lucy, will you slow down? I feel like we're running from bounty hunters or something." Elincia tried a joke, but it didn't work.

"Sorry, Ellie, I guess I'm just scared." I replied, my eyes nervously darting to and fro, searching for my brother. "What's wrong?" Elincia asked me, wrapping an arm around me. "My usually courageous mentor, scared?"

I drew a deep breath. "Ellie, if you see my brother, don't talk to him. I'll explain later why after dance practice."

Elincia nodded. "I understand, Lucia. I promise I won't approach Geoffrey."

+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

Vaida gave an extremely hard routine today, leaving us a heaping pile of sweaty bodies. "WHAT is WRONG with you girls today?!" she hollered, surveying the panting heap of girls sprawled on the mats. "How will we win the PA for this month?! Grrr…I'd feed you to Umbriel had she been here right now!"

Umbriel, by the way, is Vaida's pet monster…er, wyvern.

Vaida shook her head. "I expect to see you all in better shape next week. Practice is done for tonight."

The other girls hurriedly picked up their things and left, eager to get away from Vaida's wrath. I headed towards the shower, and I was thankful that it was empty.

I chose a stall and turned on the warm water to soothe my sore muscles. All I wanted now is to get home and lie on my bed, and forget this day.

As the water continued to run down my back, I was also pondering on how to express my feelings for Elincia before Geoffrey. It would be my cowardice and faint-heartedness should he get her first, and I think I wouldn't be able to forgive myself.

A soft humming broke my thoughts, and from the other side of the frosted glass stall I saw Elincia enter the one beside mine.

_Perfect, just pefect… _I thought, _It's just me, Elincia and the walls. Walls have ears, not mouths._

I hesitated a bit as I stepped out of my shower stall. _It's now or never, Lucia,_ I goaded myself, resting my hand on her shower door. _Now or never._

In a sudden burst of confidence, I pushed open the door. Huh. Funny she didn't lock it. Maybe she forgot.

Elincia was motionless, apparently unaware that I had entered. The _pitter-pat_ of the shower drowned out whatever little creak the door made. I carefully locked the door and observed my prize.

The beads of water running down her waist-length emerald hair were breath-taking. My gaze wandered downwards to her perfect butt, and sculpted thighs. Sculpted, no doubt, from years of dancing.

I walked towards her, my feet making a splashing noise on the tiled floor.

Elincia quickly turned around. "Who…" she began, only to be stopped as she recognized me. "Lucia…what are you doing here?" she said, surprised. I didn't answer her. Instead, I pushed her back to the wall and gave her a fiery, passionate kiss.

To my very surprise, she didn't push me away in disgust, instead, she wrapped her arms around my waist and pulled me closer. Our kiss grew deeper, tongues joining in the fracas. Elincia's fingers pushed off the towel I had wrapped around my waist and held me down…there.

I had one arm supporting my weight so I would not topple on her, and my free arm was exploring her silky green locks. I twirled them and combed my fingers through them. No matter what I did, Elincia's hair would not tangle.

Elincia had more freedom in mobility. With the wall supporting her whole body weight, she had both arms free. Soon, I felt her hands traveling upwards and sliding along my turquoise hair. She was feeling my hair as well, it would seem.

We broke off the kiss for air, and she laid her head on my bosom. I stood up, properly distributing the weight on both my legs so I could hug her tight with my arms. Hug her and never let her go.

For a moment, we were silent, the only sound being the rushing water from the shower. We stood stark naked, our bodies shimmering from the beads of water reflecting off light.

Elincia was still in my arms as I whispered, "Elincia…will you…be my girlfriend?"

Elincia's amber eyes met my ocean-blue ones, and she smiled, tears of joy running down her cheeks. "Yes, Lucia, yes, I will."

I smiled and pushed away stray bangs from her beautiful eyes. I wiped away the tears which were staining those eyes staring at me with the purest love I ever felt.

Finally, she turned off the shower, and we both stepped out, soaking wet as if we'd been in a rainstorm.

As we dressed and exited the shower room, we heard loud clapping and hoots of approval. "Well done, girl!" Marcia said, high-fiving me. "I knew you had it for her, Lucia." Jill grinned as she gave me a knowing grin.

"Very well done." A voice called. I turned towards it, and there was Heather, the girl from 3C. She had her arm around Nepheenee. "Neph, you too?" I asked, overwhelmed that majority of my friends were in the same page as Elincia and I were.

Nepheenee gave a shy smile and nod, embracing her blonde lover.

"I knew you could do it! I knew this was the day!" Mia exulted, slapping me on the back. Her other hand was around a girl named Ilyana's waist. Ilyana is from 1A. "Mia…" I smiled, amid my tears. "Our company's growing larger every day!" Mia said, kissing Ilyana on the lips.

Petrine was there too, smiling a smug smile as she clapped. My eyes scanned for a potential lover, but there was no one in sight. I guess my tears blurred my field of vision, because had it been clearer, I would have noticed a red-haired girl not far from our happy troupe.

All of my friends had been secretly hiding their forbidden love one way or another. It was a dangerous ride, but it was all worth it for them. And I myself am about to see the dangers they faced every day. Oh yeah, Geoffrey, the early bird gets the worm.

* * *

_**End notes:**__ Now they're official! You weren't expecting that, huh? Hope the kiss satisfies you! It's not that I don't like Geoffrey, it's just that his knightly attitude annoys me. And a princess/knight romance is just to cliched. _

_BTW, I'm sorry about my little mix-up in chapter 6! It's Sonia/Ursula, not Limstella. Ugh, school maketh me go scatterbrained :D_

_In response to **L**__**egendarySilverX:**__ yup, Louise's little relationship with Isadora is a foreshadowing of, hmmm…something. Yup, sit tight for that plot thickener!  
And to **Striche's **review: Thanks for your support! It's readers like you that inspire me to keep going and make the story the best it can be!_

_And a final word to all my readers and reviewers, thanks so much for supporting __**Tellius High :)**_


	8. Journal 8: Parties

**Journal 8: Parties  
****Main Pairing: **Lucia/Elincia

It has been over two months since I confessed my love to Elincia.

Nothing much changed between us, except now the looks we give each other have some warmth emanating from them. Sometimes, she would place her head on the curve of my shoulder and I would place my hand on her waist. Miraculously, we fit perfectly on each part. It's as if we were one being separated into two halves.

And once or twice, we'd share a discreet kiss—when no one is looking, of course.

It's now mid-August, when the weather is still quite warm. Prelude to the cold months of winter, it seems.

August is also the month when we throw our Acquaintance Party, a come-one-come-all event and we get to mingle with other High School Years here.

This year's motif was really ridiculous; it kinda shows that the Band has absolutely no taste in motifs. It's a…WILDLIFE THEME. Yeah, you heard me right. All of us students were wearing animal costumes…it was really, really absurd. The gym was decorated with green crepe paper and other green décor representing foliage.

My parents didn't have time to go costume shopping, so I was stuck in a tiger's costume. I guess if Kyza from 3D saw me, he would have mauled me on the spot.

I would have written this whole party of as _BAD_, but meeting Sephiran changed all that.

"Hey, Lucia!" Marcia called, walking over to me. She was wearing a horse costume, and of course Jill was trailing behind her. Jill sported a salamander costume.

I chuckled. Perhaps lizards reminded Jill of the wyverns who soared the skies in days of old. Managing to keep a straight face, I replied to Marcia. "Hey Marcia, nice costume." "Yeah, you're not so bad yourself," Marcia replied. "I hate this party, so I gathered you and the other members of the Silent Rose together."

"Silent Rose? What's that?" Elincia asked, returning to us. She was wearing a cute kitten costume, and I gratefully accepted the punch she brought us.

"Marcia, you weren't supposed to tell them first until they met Sephiran." Jill gently chided her girlfriend.

Marcia's eyes opened wide and she blushed in embarrassment. "Chestnuts…I got airheaded again." "It's alright," Jill responded, laughing lightly and wrapping an arm across Marcia. Turning to us, Jill continued on, "Sephiran told us to get you."

I felt excited, for the first time, I would finally meet and talk face-to-face with the legendary senior.

"Us?! Are you sure?" I asked, shocked.

Sephiran would never know of the lowly existence of freshmen and sophomores, so why would he send for us? But Marcia and Jill nodded an affirmative, so we had no choice but to follow.

"It's you guys," Jill said, "for real."

"Lead the way, then." I told the couple. Marcia and Jill smiled, and Marcia said, "Follow us."

As we walked along, Elincia asked me, "Who's Sephiran?" "Oh, he's the top one of the Senior Batch of this year." I answered, "He's really nice and popular, I'm sure you'll be happy to meet him."

I tactfully omitted the part about his sudden downfall after coming out of the closet with Zelgius.

"There he is," Marcia motioned towards a slim figure seated by the snack table in a quiet corner of the gymnasium. He had waist-length jet-black hair and was holding a glass of juice in his right hand. "Go on, he wants to talk to you." Jill coaxed.

Elincia and I held hands as we approached Sephiran. The closer we got, the more I was able to observe him. He is elegant and gentlemanly, and looked especially radiant wearing his heron attire. He is known as the Prince of the School, because of his wit and charm.

Apparently, he hears our approaching footsteps, because he tilts the heron-cap out of the way. "Well, here you are." He beams, "Have a seat."

Elincia and I choose two plastic chairs next to him. "Did you need us, Sephiran?" I queried.

To my surprise, he got direct to the point. No formalities, no introductions—nothing. "I hear that you and Elincia have started a relationship?"

Needless to say, that got me on a defensive mode. But Elincia beat me into responding first. "What is it to you, Sephiran?"

Sephiran smiled, trying to set us at ease. "It's not what it is to _me, _it's what it is to _you_."

"Stop talking in riddles," I demanded. Who knew he could be this arrogant?

"Very well, I'll get straight to the point." Sephiran agreed. "You notice how students here try to hide their forbidden relationships because they are afraid of their peer's reaction to them? Well, I thought long and hard about it, and I came up with a wonderful idea."

"Which is…?" Elincia queried.

"I decided to build a safe haven for people like…_us, _shall we say?" Sephiran continued, "You know full well the uproar I caused after coming out with Zelgius. Not wanting others to share the humiliation, I formed a secret community which I call…The Silent Rose."

"'The Silent Rose'?" I asked, "an…underground organization?"

"Not literally 'underground', Lucia," Spehiran said (wow, he even knows my name), "we do have our meetings in a regular house above ground. So, what I am going to ask both of you is…would you like to be part of the Silent Rose?"

Elincia and I looked at each other. A safe haven? Where we can release all our innermost feelings and thoughts to and with others like us? And not be discriminated because of it?

Once again, Elincia's eloquent eyes providedan answer. She have didn't say a word, but Sephiran got the message nodded.

"You have the most emotional gazes, Elincia. I'm glad you agreed to join. And it didn't take you long to answer, very good, I was getting tired of this party." Sephiran stood up and took off his heron cap. He shook his hair free and beckoned Zelgius over to us. "Zelgius, I believe the others are going to need a ride home. What say you, hmm?" Sephiran asked.

Zelgius grinned and fished out his car keys. "The ride's on me, Sephiran."

"Thank you. Now, be a dear and round up the batch members you can find." Sephiran ordered, "We are going to add two new members to the Silent Rose."

Zelgius looked at Elincia and me and gave a knowing grin. "You'll love it in the Silent Rose." He then spun around and looked for the other members. But who could they be?

Sephiran personally took Elincia and me to his mansion. "Are you sure it's OK to leave the party?" Elincia shakily asked the suave senior. Sephiran turned off the engine before he replied. "Elincia, my dear, I have been to that party for four years straight, and believe me, everything in there is worth missing. How long do you want to be stuck in that catsuit?"

Elincia nodded, signaling her agreement. "I'll take your word for it, then."

Sephiran retrieved his house—pardon me, _mansion _keys and opened the doors. Elincia and I gasped as we saw the rich furnishings of his house.

"Is the master of the house home?" I asked.

"You're talking to him right now." Sephiran said smoothly.

"What?! You mean to say that you own this place?" I was really astounded.

"Yes, I do. My parents are living over there." Sephiran pointed to another mansion across the courtyard. It was about five times bigger than this one. "Amazing…" was all I could say, because Zelgius's car turned into the driveway.

Sephiran then brought us to the basement, where the induction rites would be held.

* * *

_**End Notes:**__ Lucia and Elincia are about to be inducted to the Silent Rose! Who else is part of this enigmatic community? Do the girls know what they've gotten themselves into?  
__Anyway! Everybody's favorite part: Replies to reviewers!_

_**LegendarySilverX:**__ Thank you for that awesome review! Yup, I expanded the crossover to include FE10! Not really bending the rules, just rallying more characters :)  
__About Micaiah…I'm not sure if she'll make a major appearance. Sorry! As for the red-head, find out in the next chapter! _

_**Striche:**__ Thanks! I'm glad you're continuing to enjoy this!_

_**Archsage Soren:**__ Wow! Anti-normal? I like that! Thank you for your review, it really made my day when I read that. :) _

_**Roxius:**__ Thanks! Nope, not all FE series, only FE7 and FE10. Find out who Petrine is paired with in the next chapter! _

_And again, thank you all readers! I really appreciate you reading (and of course reviewing) __**Tellius High**__! Until the next chapter!_


	9. Journal 9: Initiations

**Journal 9: Initiations  
****Main Pairing: **Lucia/Elincia

We were almost at the basement, only a few more steps. Truth be told, I was getting nervous. This would be the first time I would join a club as secretive as this.

Elincia seemed to feel my apprehension, and squeezed my hand. "Don't be nervous, Lucia," she smiled softly, "Remember I'm with you as well." Elincia seemed to be able to read the deepest recesses of my mind at the moment. I slowly exhaled and let my tensions out. Of course I wasn't alone, my beloved was with me.

"Thank you, Ellie," I beamed back.

Sephiran laid his fingers on the elaborately designed doorknob. "Are you girls ready?" he gave us a ghost of a smile.

Elincia and I tightened our grip on each other and nodded.

"Well then, let's proceed."

We then followed Sephiran to a bright, spacious room. The walls were colored crimson, and painted on the ceiling was a mural of a rose. Hanging from the ceiling was a large chandelier. Along the sides of the room were wall lamps shaped like candles.

Arranged at the center of the room were two crimson-cushioned chairs, and surrounding it was a large, circular sofa.

"Don't worry, it isn't always like this." Sephiran chuckled as if sharing some private joke. "It's just that, we take initiations seriously, you know?"

I nod dumbly. What was I supposed to know about things like this?

As I approached the sofa, I could see silhouetted forms. I didn't recognize who they were until we got closer. "Know anybody?" Sephiran asked.

I was surprised to see most of our friends here. "Mia? Marcia? Even you…Petrine?"

"Yeah," Petrine shrugged as if it was no big deal. "I'm sure you know that Marcia and Jill's part of this, but the people you're seeing right now is only the tip of the iceberg."

"'Tip of the iceberg'? What do you mean?" I asked her.

"I guess I haven't introduced my girlfriend to you properly yet." Petrine went on.

"_GIRLFRIEND?! _You, Petrine the Petrified, have a _girlfriend?!_" I thought I would faint from the news.

"Uh-huh," Petrine nodded, seemingly oblivious to my shock. "She was there when you…came to terms to your feelings with Elincia. But I guess you got caught up in the excitement you didn't see her."

"Who is she then?" I pressed on.

Petrine smiled devilishly, and wrapped her arm around the girl beside her. "Does she look familiar to you?"

I looked at Petrine's girlfriend, and if surprises could cause a heart attack, I'd be dead by now. "What? You have 'the' Titania for your girlfriend?"

Titania was one of the most well-known Seniors as well from fourth year, section C. She was smart, kind, and really athletic...she's the captain of the Women's Basketball team! I couldn't believe it…the school was more "accepting" than I thought.

"Good for you, Petrine." I smiled, "and you as well, Titania."

"I look forward to knowing more about you, Lucia." The crimson-haired senior smiled back.

As I turned around, I heard Petrine say, "But don't know more about her than you know about me!!"

"Don't be so surprised," Sephiran warned us as he led us to the center seats, "like Petrine said, the members you're seeing now is only the tip of the iceberg. But as many people support you, there will be equally those who will oppose you—our—sexual preference."

Elincia and I nod, and Sephiran cleared his throat. "Well then, let's begin."

Sephiran took a 6 o' clock position and began addressing those in attendance. "Once again, we, the Silent Rose, accept another pair into our midst. Remembering our vow to protect and accept the deviants of gender, Members of the Silent Rose, do you accept Elincia and Lucia?"

A unanimous cheer came up, and after a few seconds Sephiran put up his hands to silence them. "I take that as a yes. Very well, I am pleased to know that you accept them! However, before becoming official members of the Silent Rose…"

Sephiran turned to us once again, "…you have to pass the tests to prove you are worthy of us. First, you must kiss each other to prove that you are indeed committed to each other!"

_Kiss huh? That's easy. _I thought,_ we've done that like…lots of times. _

With little effort but much passion, Elincia and I kissed. For added points, I tangled my fingers around her hair. Apparently, Elincia was feeling a bit naughty. She slipped her hands under my shirt!

Hoots, cheers and whistles came up. "That was indeed passionate," Sephiran commented. "Do you believe they are indeed comfortable with each other?"

"YEEESSS!" came the unanimous reply.

"Well then, since our judges approve," Sephiran continued, "we move on! Take off each other's shirt!"

Needless to say, I was shocked. I wasn't expecting that, seriously…would this even be worth my dignity? Or wasn't it that much big of a deal? Besides, it's like all-girls here, aside from Sephiran and Zelgius. Sephiran wouldn't make us do…"it" right here, right now?

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Sephiran teased.

Elincia and I looked at each other. Sure…I really wanted to see what was underneath Elincia's clothes…but still…in the privacy of a room, please!

"C'mon! It's no big deal!" Jill egged us.

"Yeah!" Marcia said, despite her blush.

"You can do it, shrimp!" Petrine roared.

My head began to swim in encouragement, and I _was _about to do it, sure…until I saw Ellie's downcast eyes. She was nervously chewing on her bottom lip, and her cheeks were so red. I knowthat she was a prude and all, but one part of me really wanted to see what was under ther now. But as I considered her feelings, as much as I want to see her and vice versa, we had to do this in our own time, and our own place.

What both of us would see in each other is only meant for us.

Standing up, I faced Sephiran and said, "We're not doing it."

"What's that?" he asked.

"We're not doing it. I am not following through with that errand, Sephiran. We are comfortable with each other, and if we take off our shirts right here right now, only what we as lovers are supposed to see will be seen by everyone else. And that takes away that special and private essence of seeing your lover's body." I explained, wrapping my arm around Elincia's shoulder.

The following silence was unbearable, and when I was certain we were about to be kicked out, everyone began clapping.

"I admire your fortitude," Sephiran smiled, "you passed the test. Ordinary lovers would rip their shirts off right there and then regardless of the other's feelings as a desperate move to join. I am pleased you stood your ground when you saw how uncomfortable Elincia, your lover, felt about it."

Elincia kissed me full on the lips, and that sensation alone was priceless. I believed right then and there that I would die without her.

Everyone cheered on us again, and Sephiran's last words made both of us smile.

"Welcome to the Silent Rose."

* * *

_**End notes:**__ Sorry for the long time no update! I've been quite busy lately. __I hope I've answered everyone's question when it came to Petrine's girlfriend! A hearty thanks to all readers and reviewers: __**The Darklight Angel**__, __**Rioku243**__, __**LegendarySilverX**__, __**FE Frog**__, __**Archsage Soren**__, __**Striche**__ and __**Roxius**__! You guys rock!_

_P.S. It really made me laugh when I read that SR is an orgy!! That was really funny! XP Well, to clarify things, it's simply a place where yuri and yaoi couples can gather to talk, chill or relax. However, it is a key part in this story! :)_


	10. Journal 10: Discoveries

_**MidnightStriker: **__Warning, everyone! Geoffrey goes a little psycho here…_

**Journal 10: Discoveries  
****Main Pairing:** Lucia/Elincia

After our initiations, I offered to give Elincia a ride home, and much to my delight, she agreed. "I hope I'm not being a bother to you, Lucia." Elincia said, sounding almost apologetic.

"Elincia, I told you, whenever it's you concerned, I'm always available. You're never a bother to me." I insisted. Actually, I was being pretty sneaky tonight. I wanted to score a sleepover together with her. This was our first time, uh, sharing the same roof. You know what I mean?

As the car rumbled along, Elincia yawned, and laid her head on my shoulder. _Here's my chance!_ I thought excitedly.

"Elincia, why don't you spend the night at my house?" I suggested, "You seem tired, and we don't have classes tomorrow, so you don't have to worry about grabbing a uniform or anything."

"But Lucia…you're already doing so much for me. This would be an added burden."

I scoffed, "Nonsense! You wouldn't wake up the folks. My mom is already snoring like a log, and my dad's away on a business trip. Pleeeeease?"

Now I was practically begging!

Elincia laughed, and finally agreed to spend the night. "Alright, then, Lucia, I accept your invitation. I'll just ring up Uncle Renning and my dad to tell them about this."

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As I suspected, not even a mouse stirred at this hour. Even the little blue-haired kind of mouse. Which is a good thing; I really didn't want Geoffrey to bother us tonight.

I led Elincia up to my bedroom and said, "C'mon, you'll sleep here, on my bed."

"But what about you?" Elincia asked.

"I'll be OK, I can sleep anywhere." I grinned.

We changed into our pajamas, and Elincia finally realized I was going to sleep on the floor. On the futon, to be exact.

"I won't allow this!" she exclaimed, getting down as well and grabbing my wrist. "You can't sleep here, Lucia!"

"You're the guest." I stated simply.

"I know, but can't you sleep on the bed? It's big enough for the both of us." Elincia argued.

Wow, this is getting interesting. I can't see how Elincia can get so hyped up over something as trivial as who sleeps where, but teasing her a bit would be fun…

"No, I can't." I grinned mischievously, "you're the guest."

"What if you can't make me?" Elincia teased back, lying down on the futon. We were now face to face; I was on all fours staring at her lovely eyes and she was staring up at me. Her green hair, now loosed from its bun, was spilled over pillow and shining in the electric light. It was a lovely sight.

"I don't know how, but I'll do it." I said, rising to the challenge.

I lowered my head and my lips met hers and we had a fierce kiss. "Lucia…" Elincia gasped as we broke off for air, "You're getting better at this."

I lay on top of her, my head on her torso, and began absentmindedly began playing with the buttons on her top, and suddenly I felt her hands cover mine. "Please, it's getting a bit warm in here…" she stated. "I will give you what I denied you at the Initiation."

I got excited when I heard those words, and I quickly got work.

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I don't know how, why, where or when, but probably our thrashings and yells somehow awoke the brat. Geoffrey opened my door a crack, and when he saw Elincia and I both half-dressed, Elincia was still lying on the futon and I was still on top of her. Only my hair formed a curtain hiding whatever our faces where doing and Elincia's hands were tangled in it.

We were in the middle of another kiss when we heard his unwelcome voice.

"STOP IT, BOTH OF YOU!" Geoffrey yelled, his hands shaking and his mouth in a firm line, "I will not allow you to profane this roof!"

"Aw, stop it, Geoffrey," I sighed, reluctantly breaking away from Elincia and turning to facing him. I pushed my long blue hair behind my ear, "we were just having fun, that's all."

Did I tell you that I became a pro at lying to Geoffrey lately?

"Is that…is that why you rejected me?" Geoffrey asked, pointing at Elincia. She quickly covered her chest area and tried at the same time to gather her hair in a ponytail. "Is it because you love my sister?" Geoffrey continued.

"Yes, I do love your sister, Geoffrey. In fact, we're lovers now." Elincia responded truthfully, hugging my left arm. "I'm sorry, but again, I'm telling you I can't be your girlfriend."

I expected him to walk away in a huff, sleep it off and probably forgive me in the morning. But what I didn't expect was him grabbing the pair of scissors on my desk.

"Whatcha gonna do now, little brother, slash yourself in self-pity?" I asked sarcastically.

He began walking toward me, and I was getting a bit intimidated, but I was determined not to let his see it. After all who wouldn't be scared, Geoffrey's eyes were getting red and he was clenching his teeth. "Let's see how you'll hide your kisses now!" he sneered, and the blade met my hair.

"Geoffrey! What are you doing!" I shouted as I felt the scissors snip away lock after lock. Elincia quickly leapt to my defense, and she was able to wrestle the scissors away from him. Weaponless now, he turned to his fists.

If it weren't for Elincia, and a bit of my skills in self-defense, I would have scored more than a split lip and a bruise the size of a small continent.

"If you won't leave now, I'm seriously going to beat you, Geoffrey." Elincia said firmly. "What you have done to Lucia is unthinkable! First of all, you are her brother, who is supposed to protect her! Second, you're a man! And part of the Leadership Training Course! Do they teach you how to hurt people with your bare hands?"

Geoffrey glared at Elincia, she had a point, and if she would tell this to Captain Marcus, he would be expelled from the course. Running out of options, he left quickly.

"Lucia, are you alright?" Elincia asked, putting a cloth to my lip, trying to staunch the flow of blood. "Did you lose any teeth?"

My lip hurt like hell, and the bruise seemed to grow bigger every second. Only Elincia's voice gave me the strength to respond, "Yes, I'm alright. No, thankfully my teeth are still complete. How about you? Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm not. Thank goodness you're still alive." She whispered, going to the kitchen to get some ice for my bruise.

+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

As I held the ice bag to my wound, Elincia tried to fix the damage Geoffrey did to my hair. Now I look like a guy. It's shoulder-length now, ugh.

"Hair can grow back," Elincia stated, as if reading my mind, "but if you lost your life, that cannot be returned." I didn't respond, and when I turned around to face her, she was crying. "I wouldn't know what to do if I lose you, Lucia," she sobbed dropping to her knees, "please don't leave me."

I gathered her in my arms, trying to soothe her.

"I promise I won't do anything rash…I'm really sorry about what happened tonight." I apologized.

"No, I'm sorry, if I didn't spend the night, this wouldn't have happened." Elincia said.

"Geoffrey's to blame," I announced, "if he's the intelligent type, not the brawn for brains type, he would have settled this diplomatically."

Elincia didn't respond, and I hope that I convinced her somehow. At that moment, though, Sephiran's words flashed through my mind: _as many people support you, there will be equally those who will oppose you._

I closed my eyes. Oh, Ashera…are people like Geoffrey what Sephiran meant? Is conflict even more closer than I imagine? What if he'd spread the word? What if Callil…Daniel…Jorge…everyone…knew about us? I didn't know what to think, but then I snapped back to reality. Elincia's here and she's all I would ever need. She's the only one who I would ever live for. Perhaps for now that answer is enough.

* * *

_**End Notes:**__ Opponent number one is Geoffrey! Were you expecting that? Sorry to all Geoffrey fans out there! So how will this couple fare? __To add to the pressure, the annual Intramurals games are coming up! It's a section vs. section, dog-eat-dog challenge! Not only students, but faculty members as well choose their sides and alliances, especially homeroom teachers! Expect FE6/7 characters to pop up soon!  
__By the way, Lucia now takes on the FE10 look, the one when Duke Ludveck cut her hair. From Journals 1-9, I kept the long-haired, POR style. _

_Now our favorite part! Response to reviewers! _

_**Striche**__- they couldn't keep their hands offa each other when they're alone, you can make sure of that! ;)_

_**Archsage Soren**__- thanks! Indeed, they did. I hope the muses bless you as well!_

_**LegendarySilverX**__-SR is the key part, not the orgy! :P  
I think it's quite snobbish for some authors not to at least thank reviewers, because it's the reviews what gives the story a good rating when you see it in the archives. And as for constructive criticism, it helps make a story better. So I appreciate any reviewer, especially the faithful ones! :)  
__Micaiah will show up soon, probably in a chapter or two! With Sanaki and her babysitters (read: Tanith and Sigrun)! And Sothe too! And as for Sain (and all the other FE6/7 characters), he's part of the faculty, teaching…PE! Haha! _

_**Roxius**__- I'm happy to make your dream a reality :)_

'_til the next chapter! __**MidnightS**_


	11. Journal 11: Teams

********

Journal 11: Teams

As soon as I went back to school on Monday, I was immediately peppered with comments such as "Hey Lucia, did you change your style?"

"Why did you decide to cut your hair? Think it's gonna give you an advantage in the upcoming intrams?"

"Where did you cut your hair?"

I really wanted to laugh at the last question; it was tempting to say that the "haircut" didn't cost me a thing. It's a good thing they couldn't see the bruise, Elincia helped me cover it with some make-up. She's a wiz with feminine stuff, like make-up, which quite reminds me of Callil.

Speaking of Callil, I wonder what she's going to say about this. She was always good at reading my emotions, I mean, come on! We've been friends since first grade! Sometimes, I miss her, you know?

Before I could reply to my "admirers" about my new 'do, Serra burst in the room.

"Attentiooon!" she bellowed. "Take your seats, and don't utter a word!"

"Ma'am Serra, what's happening?" Oscar asked, "why are you so nervous?"

"It's Intramurals Season," Serra began, "and I want us all to win!"

"Who doesn't," Shinon smirked.

Serra ignored him and went on, "I know that all of you want to win, but we, the Golden Lords, have to beat the Silver Cavaliers to a pulp!"

Perhaps I should explain Ms. Serra's jargon. We are divided into teams depending on our section. Since we have six sections per year level, we have six teams. Section A (that's us!) are the **Golden Lords**, Section B is named the **Silver Cavaliers**, Section C is known the **Red Knights**. Section D is the **Orange Fighters**, Section E is the **Blue Myrmidons**, and finally, Section F is named the **Green Archers**. Remember these teams if you want to know who's where!

Anyway, Ms. Serra went on.

"I want to beat those Silver Cavaliers to a pulp!" she repeated.

"And why is that?" Kieran asked.

"Because…because…" we can see Ms. Serra's fist shaking with…anger? Determination? Or something else?

"I made a bet with 1B's adviser!" she declared.

"What's the bet, ma'am?" I asked.

"If I lose to Erk's team this year, I'm gonna dye my hair purple for a month!" Ms. Serra wailed.

Man, early on she's already pushing us to win.

"And if you win?" Jorge asked,

Ms. Serra grinned. "That's the good part…Erkie's gonna dye his hair pink! For a month!"

Everyone burst out laughing. Seriously? That was their bet? But still, we were up to it. To see Sir Erk with pink hair for a month was really something.

"Let's do this!" Kieran laughed.

Ms. Serra smiled at our fiery determination, and began posting up the signup sheets on our bulletin board. As usual, I was taking the Relay race. No doubt I would face off against the likes of Mia and Kyza (2E).

"So, what are you taking, Lucia?" Elincia asked me.

"The Relay race," I grinned. "I've been practicing that a while since summer. How about you, Ellie?"

"I'm thinking about going for cheerleading." Elincia nodded. "It's been awhile since I last held a pom-pom."

"Undoubtedly you'll be our shining star. The queen of the cheerleaders!" I gushed, taking her hand in mine.. Elincia's eyes sparkled at my comment, and we stood gazing at each other, until Soren broke the moment.

"'scuse me, I'd like to sign up already, if you don't mind." He stated bluntly.

Elincia and I moved aside and watched Soren walk over to the Olympiad (that thing's for serious brainiacs) signup sheet.

"Aw, man!" Soren shouted, "it's all filled up!"

The flood of classmates was slowing down, heading out to recess. Apparently Soren wasn't fast enough to sign up for the Olympiad. Poor guy.

Shinon grinned and shook his head. "Ei, shrimpy Soren, why don'tcha try out for Archery instead? I could use you for an arrow!"

Soren glared at Shinon. "Do you actually think I'd like to be an arrow, Shinon?"

"Aw, I'm sorry buddy. Listen, you don't wanna try out for basketball. You'd get squished like the shrimp you are. Perhaps they'd mistake you for the ball!" Shinon said, soothing Soren's ruffled feathers. " And if ya join the relay, you'd lag behind and kill the team! Join the archery team instead, you don't have to move much!"

Soren tilted his head to one side. "What's the catch, sneaky Shinon?"

Shinon shrugged. For once, I detected nothing in his eyes. Perhaps he was getting better at hiding those cues. "Nothin'."

Soren pondered a moment, and signed up in the archery club. "That's the spirit, Sorensky! I'm gonna help you fire them arrows!" Shinon grinned.

As soon as they left, I smelled something fishy. Sure enough, when I checked the archery list, they needed only one more person for the team. The unlucky guy was Soren.

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Elincia and I met up with the other girls for recess, and fortunately for us, there were still spots for our preferred sports.

"Mia, did you sign up for relay racing again?" I asked as soon as she arrived, followed by Jill, Marcia, Petrine, Ilyana, Nephenee, Heather and Titania.

"Yup, I sure did!" Mia grinned. "Looks like another draw for our teams this year!" all of us laughed, remembering how we finished the race at the same time. I was the best runner in the Golden Lords, and Mia was the Red Knight's secret weapon.

"How about you, Nephenee? What did you join?" Marcia asked. "Uhm, I took Women's Volleyball." Nephenee nodded. "I took cheerleading!" Heather piped up.

"Are you sure about that, Heather?" Petrine asked worriedly. It's the first time I actually heard any emotion besides anger in Petrine!

"Why?" the tomboyish blonde asked, "is something wrong? I can dance, you know!"

"I don't have any doubt in that," Petrine agreed, "it's just that, my classmate Valtome signed up too, you know? And he's the captain." "Oh…him." Heather scoffed, "No problem, I can handle that guy any day!"

Valtome is a jerk, seriously. I hear his only friend is money. No, make that only _two _friends, money and make-up. He's acting all self-righteous and it was a well-known fact he hated Heather. Why? It's because Heather was one of us. Heather is practically the only one from the Silent Rose brave enough to come out besides Sephiran and Zelgius. Valtome also hates Sephiran because he believed Sephiran "stole" both his popularity and Zelgius.

Anyway, I was concentrating on what the other girls signed up for. Jill signed up for Women's basketball, and Marcia also joined cheerleading. Ilyana joined the chess team, and Titania joined the Olympiad.

"So, do you know the captains, Mia?" I asked.

"Well, I hear Ike's the captain of the relay team. For the Silver Cavs, I think it's Sigrun. And for us Red Knights, it's Volug. Practices are after class on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays." Mia recited.

"Wow, you sure are up to date!" Elincia commented.

Mia beamed as she accepted the praise.

We were about to discuss more practice schedules, but suddenly something more interesting popped up—teachers! They chose the table adjacent to us and began to discuss their teams and who they'd root for. Of course, homeroom teachers (also called "advisers") rooted for their class.

"I say that the Orange Fighters will win this year." Lyndis, the adviser of 4D, said confidently, "You know Pelleas? The top one of his batch? Well, he's joining the Olympiad!"

"You think that weakling can do the obstacle course?" Hector countered, scoffing. "My 3A can destroy your team any day! That Reyson kid can fly—literally! He's body, beauty and brains!"

"I beg to differ, _Lord _Hector," Raven, adviser of 2C, said. "The Red Knights can beat you. Jill's a menace with a basketball! She can shoot a three-pointer, even a four-pointer if it were possible!"

We giggled silently as Jill puffed up her chest with pride.

"Do you think so, Sir Raven?" Lucius, adviser of 2D, asked. "Dear Raven, I believe that the Orange Fighters are the top!"

"What do you think, Louise?" Isadora asked, resting her head on the French teacher's shoulder, "Do you think our classes can pull it together to become the over-all champions?"

"I don't doubt it for one moment." Louise said, playing with Isadora's blue locks.

Lyndis cleared her throat in warning. Kent, adviser of 3D, was approaching. And he was a well-known freakin' homophobe.

"I think you should tone that part down, girls!" Lyndis whispered, "Mr. You-know-who is close friends with Pent, and he might tell of your little fling, Louise! With him around, I can't even hold hands with Florina!"

Louise rolled her eyes in exasperation. Sometimes I wonder if she's marrying Sir Pent only out of duty to family…

Well, it was quite obvious to us that Lyndis had a thing for her orchid-haired colleague. Florina was the adviser of 3B. It makes me wonder, though, are there faculty members who joined the Silent Rose? Silly thought, but you never know, right?

"Hey guys!" Kent said, plopping beside Lyndis. He was quite oblivious to Lyndis's "preferences", and he's tried making several moves on her. "Am I late?"

Lyndis scooted a bit farther away from Kent. "Quite. Our break is about over. Come on, guys!" Everyone stood up, except Kent. "Come on, Lyn! Don't you want to stay awhile?"

Lyndis jerked her arm away from Kent's invading touch. "Sir Kent, you know full well that I only allow certain people to call me Lyn. I prefer you to call me 'Lyndis'." She said coldly. As they walked towards the elevator, Sain, our Phys Ed teacher, came over. Everyone in my class loved Sir Sain, he was so funny and likeable. "Hey everyone!" he greeted the group. "Yo Lyn! Yo Hector! Yo Raven!..." he said jovially.

As they walked away, we heard Kent mutter, "why could _he _call Lyndis 'Lyn'?"

"Oooh…someone's jealous!" Marcia giggled. We laughed and bid each other farewell, our recess break has ended well.

* * *

_**End Notes:**__ Gah! I've been busier than expected. Sorry this update was a bit long! So, is Lucia correct in assuming that faculty members joined the Silent Rose? Or is she just delusional? Now the teams are introduced! Have you guys decided on who you'd like to be the winner? _

_If you are getting confused, perhaps I should post a special chapter containing the faculty and class listings. Just state it in your reviews if you'd like Chapter 12 to contain a list of which FE10 character is in what section and what subject an FE6/7 character teaches. _

_And one final thing: I do NOT intend to make a Shinon/Soren pairing. It's only for comic relief! You'll see why in the following chapters! A hearty huzzah to: **Roxius, LegendarySilverX, Koji-Imura, Striche, **and** Lynnie Kleriker! **Advanced thanks to readers and future reviewers!_


	12. Journal 12: Listings

_**MidnightStriker: **__As promised, here's the list of students and faculty members around Tellius High! Hope that you'll find it useful! Sorry for my long absence! _

**Journal 12: Listings**

**Section A=Golden Lords **

Ike

Elincia

Lucia

Ilyana

Soren

Shinon

Astrid

Oscar

Kieran

Callil

Zelgius

Jorge

Stefan

**Section B=Silver Cavaliers **

Nolan

Aran

Zihark

Fiona

Rafiel

Oliver

Mist

Devdan

Rolf

Rhys

Reyson

Sigrun

Tanith

**Section C= Red Knights **

Volug

Micaiah

Sothe

Titania

Petrine

Mia

Jill

Largo

Heather

Nephenee

Sephiran

Valtome

**Section D** **=Orange Fighters **

Geoffrey

Laura

Tibarn

Tauroneo

Leanne

Haar

Boyd

Lethe

Makalov

Volke

Pelleas

Leonardo

**Section E = Blue Myrmidons **

Nailah

Murarim

Janaff

Mordecai

Lyre

Kyza

Naesala

Bastian

Giffca

Ena

Rajaion

Gareth

**Section F=Green Archers**

Vika

Ulki

Ranulf

Kurth

Skrimir

Ludveck

Levail

Tormod

Gatrie

Brom

**Advisers:**

**1A **– Niime **1B**- Erk **1C**- Rebecca **1D**- Wil **1E**-Lowen **1F**-Rath

**2A**- Serra **2B**-Priscilla **2C**-Raven **2D**-Lucius **2E**-Harken **2F**- Sain

**3A**- Hector **3B **-Florina **3C**- Isadora **3D** – Kent **3E**-Fiora **3F**- Heath

**4A**- Eliwood **4B**- Marcus **4C**-Louise **4D**-Lyn **4E**-Limstella **4F**-Wallace

**Subject Teachers:**

**Principal: **Eliwood

**English (8): **Kent, Fiona, Legault, Harken, Isadora (sopho)

**Runic: **Pent, Canas, Niime

**French**: Louise

**Mathematics: **Canas,

**Sciences: **Erk, Pent

**History: **Rebecca, Wil, Limstella,

**Physical Ed and LT: **Marcus, Oswin, Sain

**Economy: **Matthew, Lyn, Heath

**Accounting: **Merlinus

**Argumentation and Debate:** Raven

**Logic:** Hugh, Matthew

**Combat: **Hector,Wallace, Rath, Jaffar

**Manners Class: **Priscilla, Serra, Lucius,

**Food Service:** Lowen

**Music: **Florina

**Band: **Nils

**Folk Dance: **Ninian

**Modern Dance: **Vaida


	13. Journal 13: Training

**Journal 13: Training **

Everybody loves intrams, I guess it's because it cuts classes big-time.

Right now it's 10:00 am, and most of the Olympiad, Chess, and Basketball and Volleyball players have been practicing for the last two hours. The class is nearly empty, with only around 6 or 7 of us left in the class.

Shinon has his Manners book over his face, snoring quietly. Oscar is warming up for the Relay Race practice, checking his watch every few minutes for recess. Only Astrid, Soren, Elincia and I are actually doing the In-class exercise Ms. Serra left for us.

Before I knew it, the loudspeaker blared its announcement for all Relay Racers to head to the field for warm ups and exercises.

As I stood up to leave, I felt a warm hand pressed on top of my hand. It was Elincia, and she was smiling at me. Beckoning me to come nearer, she whispered, "Good luck, Lucia," and gave me a discreet kiss on the lips. Oscar was out the door and Astrid and Soren were now joining Shinon in Dreamland, so no one noticed our little moment.

"Thank you, Ellie." I beamed, "I'll see you later."

Elincia nods and beams at me.

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Oscar and I run up to the track, and I see our captain. Boy, why am I not surprised it's Ike.

Ike was from 3A, and he was highly praised for his athletic abilities. He was last year's captain too, and he was the one who led us to victory.

"Hey there, Oscar and Lucia!" he smiled. "Glad to see you guys can come back for another year!" "We wouldn't pass this up for anything, Ike." Oscar responded, bouncing his fist off Ike's.

As the two boys continued on their happy banter, I watched the other teams filing into the field. I could see Mia from the Knights, and she waved at me, like crazy. She gave me a thumbs-up sign, and I returned the gesture. We agreed that no hard feelings if one of us loses against the other.

My eyes turned to the Orange Fighter's team, and my heart sank to my shoes. I saw that unmistakable shock of blue hair…Geoffrey!

_Damn it,_ I seethed, _don't tell me I'm even competing against_ him _this year?_

Geoffrey wandered over to our territory without a hint of fear. I could actually still see flecks of rage in his eyes.

"You're going to regret that," he growled.

"Regret what?" I asked him, faking my cool.

"Getting Elincia." He responded.

"Why should I? She was the best thing that ever happened to me." I countered him.

"And she soon will be the worst thing." Geoffrey snarled, turning his nose in the air and doing an about-face to rejoin his team.

"What's his problem," I muttered, though I clearly knew what bothered him. I felt like it was my only means of self-defense for now. But in the pit of my stomach, I had a feeling that he had something up his sleeve. And that wasn't good…

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_**Three Hours Later:**_

I lay sprawled on the grass, panting.

Ike was still as strict as ever, he wouldn't let us dilly-dally. He wanted to win as badly as I did, but seriously…did he have to push us this hard?

"OK, that's it for today," Ike announced, grabbing a towel and his jug of water. Oscar quickly ran off to who-knows-where, leaving me to my fate.

I feel like I would die of dehydration. The afternoon sun was particularly unforgiving this day, and I was too weak to drag myself to the nearest vending machine to get a bottle of water. So I figured that I'll just wait for my energy to come back bit by bit and perhaps grab a drink then. Since we couldn't talk or associate with the other teams, Mia couldn't even help me if she wanted.

Suddenly I feel a cool cloth on my forehead, and shade. I weakly crack open an eye and saw Elincia over me, her face a mix of concern and worry.

"Lucia, it's not good to lie out here in the sun," she gently chided me, lifting my head up and giving me a bottle of cold water. I greedily guzzled it down and thanked her profusely.

"Thanks, Ellie. Dang, I can't even feel my arms or legs." I said.

"Let's move to the shade," she suggested, helping me up and supporting me as we walked towards the shaded bleachers.

"When did you come here?" I asked, taking another swig of water.

"Our captain, Callil, gave us a thirty minute break." Elincia replied. "So I came over to see you."

"Your arrival was timely," I commented.

"Don't push yourself too hard, even if it's just for a tan." Elincia teased, and we laughed.

"So I guess that the only ones practicing now are the Archery competitors." Elincia went on, "Want to watch them?"

"Sure." I agreed, "helps pass time. Even if Ike says we're done, the school won't let me out until 4:00pm."

Elincia and I walked towards the archery grounds, where targets and arrows were strewn about. Several teachers, such as Wil, Rebecca and Isadora were there, supervising the other students.

I could see some students, such as Astrid, Rolf, Shinon, Soren and Leonardo. Shinon was actually teaching Soren for once, not the other way around.

"This ought to be interesting," I whispered to Elincia, and she nodded. We moved closer so we can see how well Shinon teaches things.

"So you put the arrow here, and tighten your hold here…" Shinon explained to the smaller boy. Soren followed Shinon's instructions, and Shinon commanded, "then let it loose!"

Soren let go of the arrow, but instead he was the one sent flying. "Alert! Wil, catch him!" Rebecca yelled, and Sir Wil braced himself for the incoming impact. _BAM! _I closed my eyes but I could picture either Wil or Soren having a concussion, or worse.

"Shinon! I thought you were being nice for once!" Soren yelled.

Shinon was laughing so hard, and he was rolling on all over the field. "You should've seen the look on your face!" he gasped, "that was priceless!"

Wil stood over him, arms crossed. "Mr. Shinon, that wasn't very nice. Any more acts like that, we'll have you kicked off the Archery event."

"You can't do that!" Shinon protested, "I'm your best marksman!"

"Apparently so. You're a good marksman with a bad behavior." A female voice commented.

Everyone's head, including mine, snapped towards the speaker. It was Louise. "Soren, come here, I'll teach you how to handle a bow." We all watched intently as Louise properly taught Soren. By the end of the session, he was able to hit the target 8 out of 10 times!

Even Shinon was awed. "You're an archer, Ma'am Louise?" he asked. She looked at him with her lavender orbs. "Yes, I am." Then, turning to Isadora, she grinned and said, "And I always hit home."

Isadora blushed and Louise laughs and walks over to the blue-haired female. They moved a bit further for some private conversation, leaving us standing with our mouths agape. Ms. Rebecca was first to break the silence. "Well, who knew a French teacher could teach archery as well?"

* * *

_**End Notes:**__ I am so sorry for not updating sooner! I hope to do so more frequently in the coming weeks. Please be patient a while longer! And of course, a hearty shout-out to reviewers __**Archsage Soren**__, __**Sonic Phantom**__, __**Striche**__, __**Little Liger**__ and __**LegendarySilverX **__for your undying support__! Also, a thank you to all readers and future reviewers! Til next chapter! _


	14. Journal 14: Confrontation

**Journal 14: Confrontation **

"Lucia, wait."

Those two words somehow sent shivers down my spine, and it wasn't from the cold. Even though it was early autumn, only one person could make me shiver like that, and that person was Elincia.

"Is something wrong?" I asked concernedly.

Elincia laughed a bit, and said, "I'm sorry to worry you, it's just that I can't go home with you today." Perhaps seeing the disappointment on my face, she hurried to cushion the news, "but only for today." Elincia added. That's one thing I really liked about her—she was always sensitive towards my feelings.

"What's happening?" I pressed.

Elincia exhaled loudly, blowing a lock of stray emerald hair to its proper place.

"My father just closed a business deal with another company, and they're celebrating it by having dinner." Elincia explained, "The president of that company invited my father over to dinner, and the thing is, my father was asked to bring his family in as well."

"Bummer," I mumbled.

Elincia smiled, and said, "Don't worry, Lucy. I'll try to call you tonight, OK? I doubt we'll stay long, my father knows full well that I have classes tomorrow. So smile for me, please?"

My spirit lightened, and I smiled. Elincia beamed back and kissed me on the cheek. Giving me one last look, she trotted over to her waiting chauffeur.

I sighed, and turned to the exit of the university grounds, until I heard a different voice call my name once again.

"Lucia! Lucia, slow down!"

I turned around and came face-to-face with Heather, Nephenee, Mia and Marcia, all gasping under the load of their book bags. "Boy, you're really fit to join the track team. You're fast even when you walk!" Marcia giggled.

I smiled, and before I could ask what they wanted, Mia filled it in for me.

"Sorry to interrupt your after-school plans, Lucia! Y'see, Largo, our team captain, sent us to buy some materials to make streamers." Mia rolled her eyes.

I tried to stifle a laugh, but it came out anyway. "Largo?! Largo's the team captain for the Red Knight's Relay Team?" OK, I wasn't really implying Largo's slow, but he's got more bulk than anything else. He may stand a chance in winning in something like wrestling (that even is non-existent this year, though), but you can't really depend on him to run like the wind…

Marcia clamped a hand over my mouth, her eyes cautious. "Hey! Be careful! You might be over heard!" "Why?" I giggled on, "Largo's OK, he doesn't take jokes like this to heart."

"It's not him, Lucia. His girl Callil is overly sensitive to anyone teasing her 'one-and-only'." Heather emphasized "one-and-only" with air quotes, "She's a demon when she's angry!"

"Not as much as Vaida and Petrine." I snorted.

"I HEARD THAT!" Petrine yelled clear across the courtyard. She was preparing to leave school together with Titania.

We giggled nervously, and Marcia shrugged as if it were no big deal. "So, are you coming with us or not?" She rebounded back to the point. The others waited expectantly for my answer, and of course I couldn't turn the girls down. "OK," I smiled, "I'm game."

"Yeah!" Heather said playfully, punching my arm, "no boundaries here, Silent Rose! We're all family even if we're in different teams!"

"Of course!" Mia piped in.

"By the way, where's Elincia?" Nephenee asked me. Apparently, she was the only one to notice my beloved's absence.

"She had to go home; her father had to bring her to some dinner party." I responded, disappointment edging my voice. "Too bad," Marcia said, echoing my feelings, "she's really good at stuff like crafts, I was hoping she'd come help us." "Don't worry, she'll come next time." I assured my rose-haired friend, trying to reassure myself as well.

"The day's flying, let's go to the crafts shop." Heather prodded. "Oh, right. The crafts shop." I sighed, trying to hide my fallen spirits.

+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

The crafts shop was located in the Mall; so naturally, we were delayed a bit window-shopping at other stores before arriving to do our errand.

"That shade of pink is sooooo me!" Marcia squealed as we entered a make-up shop. "I just remembered I need foundation," Heather mused as she browsed row upon row of make-up, "C'mon, Nephenee, let's go find your shade of gloss." Nephenee looked stricken as Heather dragged her off to look at things she deemed, "too girly". Mia and I weren't into these things yet, and being spared the horror of choosing blushes or gloss.

"Well, well, look who's here."

Mia and I didn't even have to think to know who that voice belonged to, because we already knew who it was. Even without seeing his face, we could hear him dripping with venom and distaste.

"Valtome," Heather hissed, narrowing her eyes, "I should've known I would find you in a make-up shop."

"Uwee-hee-hee!" the red-haired senior laughed his high, shrilly, irritating laugh, "Did your ex-girlfriend rub some of her girlishness on you?"

Heather stiffened at the tone of "ex-girlfriend", and Nephenee's face bore a questioning look. "I shouldn't be surprised you found another girl," Valtome pressed on, pushing more of Heather's buttons, "But what I am surprised is that you haven't told her yet."

"Told me what?" Nephenee's face had a blank expression.

"That she and a certain Callil were lovers before, honey. Didn't you ever wonder why someone as tomboyish as Heather would take a sudden interest in make-up? Thank Ashera I was able to slap some sense into Callil." Valtome answered with a hint of pride in his voice.

My jaw dropped, and I shook my head. Heather and Callil were lovers? And Callil was…bisexual? Why didn't she tell me before?

I turned my head towards Nephenee, wondering what her reaction would be. Oddly, she still had a blank expression on her face. "So?" Nephenee told Valtome, "Heather'n I are lovers. She ain't cheated on me once. So what if she had one before me? S'all in the past, I reckon." Nephenee shrugged her shoulders as if it was no big deal. "We still strong, right, Heather?"

Heather was smiled at Nephenee. "Of course we are. What's in the past is past." She hissed at Valtome, and Valtome was obviously irked by Nephenee's tranquil mood. Huh, that's what's cool about Nephenee. She doesn't get easily annoyed by skeletons in the closet.

Valtome went on, trying to save face. "And what's this I'm hearing about you taking cheerleading? _You _shouldn't be in it!" Heather was really losing her patience now, and I felt that a fistfight was going to take place.

It was time to leave, I felt, or we would be branded as trouble-making teens. What's worse is that we still wore our uniforms, and the shop personnel could call up the school and report our misconduct, if one occurred, that is.

Heather raised her fist to strike Valtome, but suddenly a hand grabbed her wrist.

"What's going on here?" The unmistakable voice of Sephiran rang out behind us. We all turned, and he was with several seniors: Zelgius, Tanith, Sigrun, and three little kids I couldn't place. Sigrun and Tanith were part of Sephiran and Zelgius's clique. "Hold on to me, Sanaki, things might get ugly." Sigrun told the smallest child, picking her up and covering her eyes. "Are they gonna have a fistfight?" the young boy asked excitedly. "Quiet, Sothe! That isn't very nice." the silver-haired child said.

"Micaiah, you're no fun." the boy called Sothe mumbled.

Heather broke her wrist free of Tanith's grip. "What'd you do that for?" she growled. "You would give our school a bad mark if you hit Valtome." Sigrun said with undisturbed serenity.

"He started it!" Heather yelled.

"Valtome, I must ask you to leave now." Sephiran said, but he had an air of quiet authority in his voice. "You are disturbing others by your incoherent babbling."

"She just got what she deserved!" Valtome replied haughtily, "The likes of you should be burned at stake…ack!"

Zelgius lifted Valtome by the neck. "Say one word again against Sephiran, and you'll never speak again." There was fire in his eyes, and I could see he was really angry about Valtome insulting Sephiran. "P-put me down, Zelgius!" Valtome pleaded, his eyes wide with fear. "I p-promise, I won't say anything against him again!"

Zelgius placed him outside the shop, and talked some sense into him. But I heard Valtome mutter as he walked away, "I'll counter your influence one day, Sephiran…"

I shook my head, trying to dispel my thoughts of an all-out confrontation. That didn't seem likely at the moment, since Sephiran had the favor of the faculty and had one of the strongest bodyguards anyone could want. Still, that little finger of foreboding in my gut didn't seem to want to leave.

* * *

_**End notes:**__ Hey! This seems to be a little more quickly…I hope. I've been arriving late right now, with the time change and all. Anyway! Valtome shows to be a potential problem. How is he related to Callil's past? Does Callil intend to return the "favor" of Valtome in showing her the "path of enlightenment"? _

_Many thanks to readers and reviewers: __**LegendarySilverX**__, __**Sonic Phantom**__, __**Little Liger**__, __**Striche**__, __**Archsage Soren**__, and __**Roxius**__! A loud huzzah! _

_**Next:**__ Elincia fills in Lucia about the dinner party. Looks like a persistent opponent rises up once again, not backing down one bit, especially since Intramurals is only two days away. _


	15. Journal 15: Intramurals

**Journal 15: Intramurals**

"Are you alright?" Sephiran asked Heather.

"Yeah, I'm just trying to put my ego back together." Heather retorted, still stinging from Valtome's remarks. "S'okay, Heather. All his chatter meant nothin' to me, if that's what yer concerned about." Nephenee consoled.

Sephiran smiled at them. Turning to me, he caught me looking at his three little charges. "They aren't my kids," he joked, "Sanaki, the purple-haired one, is my baby cousin, and her sister is Micaiah. Her parents are working back in Begnion, but they felt that they have to send her here for a good education. Sothe is just a friend of theirs."

"Oh, I see. They're such cute kids." I commented.

Sigrun was carrying Sanaki right now, and she told her, "wave to the nice girl, Sanaki! Say hi." "H-i." Sanaki gurgled, sounding quite unsure. I laughed and returned the greeting. "Well, it was nice meeting all of you." I said, and Mia butted in. "But we really have to get going for the streamer materials."

Sephiran laughed. "Largo making you do all the work? Well, we don't really have anything to do tonight, so Zelgius and I will accompany you. If you don't mind, that is." Zelgius nodded his agreement, and Sephiran turned to Tanith and Sigrun. "Take care of those three."

"Yes, Sephiran." They chorused. "We'll meet you back in the mansion, right?" Micaiah clarified. "Uh-huh. And stay out of trouble. Especially you, Sothe." Sephiran said.

Everyone laughed, and we parted ways.

+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

I arrived home quite late, around 9:00pm. Surprisingly, the house was still empty. And Geoffrey was nowhere in sight.

"Eliza!" I called, "Where's everyone?"

Eliza came over, and she said, "Didn't you know? Your father closed another business deal. The president of the other company—I think his name was Ramon or Renning—invited the whole family." Since you weren't home yet, he just took your mother and Geoffrey with him."

"Why didn't he call me?" I pressed.

Eliza shrugged. "Geoffrey said you were too busy with schoolwork, and your mother agreed that it was your topmost priority."

My jaw dropped, and I blinked twice. I ran to my room, slammed the door, and began punching my pillow until I was exhausted. "The little sneak!" I growled. I was outsmarted again by that weasel! If only I called home before I went to the mall...

I closed my eyes, not wanting to cloud my mind. Since it was Intramurals tomorrow, I needed all the energy I can get. And as an added bonus, Geoffrey may be too tired tomorrow from staying up late to race properly. It would be an easy win for my team.

+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

I took my bike and went to school early, not wanting to share the car, nor last night's events, with Geoffrey. I directly went to the track. Thankfully, Oscar was there already. Unfortunately, Ike was there too. Poor Oscar, he was already sweating it out doing sit ups. "Lucia! Do 25 stretches for each limb, and give me 50 pushups and sit ups! It will loosen your muscles!" Ike ordered, detecting my presence. I groaned, but I followed his orders.

Every so often, I would do a quick glance at the cheerleader's room. There was still no sound coming from there, so apparently, there were no people yet. "45, 46…" I grunted, "…49, 50! Ike, I'm done! I'm going to the track!"

"Alright," Ike said, "just remember that the opening ceremonies start at 8."

I glanced at my watch and cursed silently. It was already 7:30am, so I only had half hour to familiarize myself and get a "feel" of the track. And if I waste another minute, the runners of the other teams would crowd the course.

I hurried over and found Volug, Vika, and Nailah already there, running some laps. Taking in a lungful of fresh air, I began timing myself for best laps as I sped around the course.

+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

At 8 o'clock sharp, Marcus blared on the loudspeaker for everyone to line up. We were a colorful sight—the entire courtyard seemed to be bursting with the rainbow. Our official Intramurals shirts matched our team colors and had a ridiculous cartoon image of our mascot on the front. But we were free to decide our bottom garments.

"Lucia! There you are." Elincia called, running over and throwing her arms around me. I silently agreed with myself that freshening up was a good idea. "Hey, Elincia." I smiled, returning the hug, "How was last night?" "Oh, Lucia, you'll never believe it," Elincia's eyes grew round, "I didn't know that your father was the other president!"

"Yeah, I heard about that last night from the housekeeper." I answered. Elincia smiled, but it seemed forced. "Really? Well, I was hoping you knew ahead and went too, because…"

"Lucia! Elincia! Keep Quiet!" Serra hushed us. I bit my lip. Leave it to Ms. Serra to break up a conversation just when it was getting to the juicy part.

"Will all Chess Teams stay here, Relay Race competitors here, and Olympiads here…" Sir Hector directed us to different parts of the courtyard. Coincidentally, the Cheerleaders and the Relay Racers were in opposite poles of the courtyard. Looks like my patience will be tested a bit longer, since we won't be mingling until after the opening ceremony.

Laura from 1D had the opening prayer to Ashera, Ike recited the Sportsmanship Oath, and siblings Reyson, Leanne and Rafiel sang our school anthem and Intramurals song in a beautifully combined tune. Soon, Principal Eliwood took the mic and began another of his famous speeches. It was the one about not mattering that someone wins or loses, we must use it all to become better players in this game called life, and blah, blah, blah.

It was only thanks to Sir Hector, Principal Eliwood's best friend that the one-hour speech was cut into half hour.

"Hey, Eliwood," Hector whispered during Ike's recitation of the Sportsmanship Oath, "cut the chatter, OK? I think they know what you're about to say. Plus, they aren't going to listen to you when the sound of competition is all they hear. They're amped up for the intrams, man! And so am I!" Eliwood chuckled. "I guess you're right, Hector. I'll shorten what I had in mind—without cutting out the important parts."

Hector groaned, and Eliwood laughed again.

After Eliwood's speech, Marcus took the floor again. "OK, everyone. First, the Golden Lords' competitors will go to the gym, followed by the Silver Cavaliers, and so on. Do this in an orderly manner, and we're going to light the torch to officially open the intramurals. Zelgius and Titania, stay."

I knew what Sir Marcus planned for those two. Zelgius and Titania were chosen this year to light the torch, and that in itself was a big honor! Lighting the torch meant that you were the athlete who was seen to be the perfect example of sportsmanship to the younger ones. The faculty would choose one male and female senior to light the torch. One day, I would really want to be lighting the torch.

When everyone was assembled, we all were tingling with excitement as Zelgius and Titania ran down the center of the gym together, holding the torch and lighting the fire. Everyone let out a loud cheer as Pricipal Eliwood announced, "By the power vested in me as principal of Tellius High, I now pronounce the Intramurals OPEN!"

Everyone cheered again, and Sir Oswin began announcing the first events of the day.

"Alright, the first games will be Volleyball between the Blue Myrmidons and Green Archers," he read, "and the Golden Lords and Silver Cavaliers in Basketball. Red Knights and Orange Fighters, take those chessboards out!"

We all dispersed, everyone going to their respective teams. The Myrmidons and Archers stayed in the gymnasium, watching the volleyball court take shape. The Knights and the Fighters went to the Game Room, which left the Lords and Cavaliers heading to the Basketball Court. I was relieved that we didn't have a face-off with the Fighters yet, I didn't want to see Geoffrey.

Then suddenly, I remembered Elincia's enigmatic statement before the opening ceremony. I dashed around to find her, and I spotted her sitting beside Astrid.

"Hey Elincia, do you want to continue were we left off?" I yelled over the din of the other students. "About last night's events?" I would rather hear the truth about last night, whether it was good or bad, from Elincia rather than from Geoffrey. He might even twist it a bit, the little sneak!

Elincia looked at me slightly puzzled, but suddenly recognition lighted her eyes. "Come on, let's go!" she responded, trying to make herself heard as well. "Let's head to the library, I think it's quieter there." I helped her up, and we were edging across the mass of bodies standing in our way. Everywhere, students yelled as their team scored another basket.

"Score, Kieran, score!" the Golden Lords chorused. Kieran tried break free from Nolan's grip, but his shot wasn't as straight as he'd hoped. The ball bounced off the backboard and right into Devdan's hands. "Devdan shoot for team!" he announced, dribbling the ball towards the basket. Devdan ducked Zelgius's defense, and passed the ball to Aran. Aran slipped under Kieran's arms and shot the ball for another two points.

"YEEEAH!" the Cavaliers yelled. "Time Out!" Marcus called, and the teams trotted off towards their benches for another gameplan and some water.

"Let's go now," Elincia urged me. I nodded, and we started off towards the library. As we passed the scoreboard, I can see what a lousy start the Lords were off to. Golden Lords: 10, and Silver Cavaliers: 23. We must have started off the wrong foot.

* * *

_**End Notes:**__ Hey everyone! I hope this chapter didn't disappoint! The Golden Lords seem to be the underdog right now. How is the volleyball game between the Archers and Myrmidons? And the Chess match of the Knights and Fighters? This we'll all see in the next chapter. But on top of that—what is Elincia's report of what occurred the night before? _

_Of course, thank you to everyone who's been reading, loving and reviewing Tellius high so far! _

_**LegendarySilverX-**__Sanaki, Micaiah and Sothe are still in Grade School, they'll make another appearance soon enough =]  
__**Little Liger-**__the Golden Lords seem to be having a down team morale—wonder if they're jinxed?! Nah, just kidding ;)  
__**Judamacaby-**__Thanks! I'm really happy you're enjoying Tellius High! Your guess is right, Sigrun and Tanith are involved. That pairing was always one of my favorites :)  
__**Archsage Soren-**__ I'm also quite confused with the new layout as well _  
__Thanks for favoriting Tellius High too! Made me happy, haha! "Choke of Doom"? that's funny! Thank you for your continued reviews, it helps the story flow better~  
__**Striche- **__I liked that part too! Valtome was really annoying in part 2! Yay for Zelgius!  
__**fullmoonsage- **__Heather has a taste for anything and everything, it seems! Haha!  
__**Roxius- **__thanks much! I'm happy you do :)  
__**Sonic Phantom-**__ and another skeleton is dragged from the closet—and the intramurals is only the start of the feud ^_^_

_Until the next chapter, everyone! More power to all! _


	16. Journal 16: Underdogs

**Journal 16: Underdogs**

I picked up my pace as I followed Elincia. Whatever she had to tell must be important. Fortunately, there was no one in the library but the few bookkeepers and the librarian. She gave us a puzzled look, probably wondering why students would be here during the intramurals season. We just nodded at her and hurried off to find a seat in the back, behind the bookshelves.

We found a square, four-seater table and sat across each other. "So what's this about?" I asked, curiosity gnawing at my gut. Elincia took a deep breath and held my hands. I could tell from her set jaw that she was trying her best not to make me upset, and I silently promised myself that I wouldn't be upset; for both our sakes.

Apparently she didn't want to tell me at once—she tried to start the conversation thrice and thrice she failed. Before her fourth try, I encircled the table and draped an arm around her shoulders. "Elincia—princess, no matter what it is, I promise, I won't judge you or get upset." I whispered.

Elincia started to calm down, and with a shaky voice, she began her tale.

"Last night was the worst night of my life," she began, looking at our entwined fingers, "When I came with Father and Uncle Renning, I ran into Geoffrey in the lobby. I was puzzled why he was there, but assumed that he was simply following me. He saw me, too, and gave me a smile so big that I wanted to hit him in the mouth."

I tightened my embrace around her, and she rested her head on the crook of my neck and closed her eyes.

"When the dinner began," she continued, "I saw a man who had the same shade of hair as you and Geoffrey, followed by his wife, and, finally, Geoffrey. Had I known it was your family, I was hoping that you would be there. I wanted you to protect me."

"I am so sorry, Ellie, I hadn't known either," I mumbled. "It's nobody's fault," she said gently, "it's nobody's fault."

We sat in silence for a few moments, and I remembered her last line. "What did you mean by, 'I wanted you to protect me'?" I queried. Elincia looked at me, and said sadly, "I won't beat around the bush, Lucia. I never consented to this, but, without any options on my part—our parents plan to engage me to your brother."

My eyes widened and I sat in shock. I felt like I had been punched in the stomach. "S-say that again?" I asked weakly. "Our parents plan to engage me to your brother." Elincia repeated weakly.

"That's insane! We're only sophomores!" I exclaimed. I heard the "Shhh!" of the librarian and lowered my tone. "What is father planning?" I seethed. Elincia explained, "It was to unite our companies—they wanted to make it a joint affair," she embraced me. "Don't let your spirits down, Lucy. I'm still your girlfriend, and we'll overcome this obstacle together. Just because we're planned to be engaged doesn't mean it's going to happen, right? Geoffrey and I haven't even spoken during the dinner."

"Consider it a down payment," I grumbled. The moment those words left my mouth, I wished I could take them back. Because when I looked into my dearest's eyes, they were filled with hurt. "We're not breaking up just because of this, right?" Elincia's voice quivered a bit.

"No, no, of course not." I assured her, "This is nothing—you're right, we'll just have to find a way around this. Together." I held up both her hands in mine and kissed them. Elincia laughed quietly and kissed me on the cheek. It felt so good to resolve a fight before it got out of hand.

"C'mon, let's go see if our team is doing as well as we did." I grinned, helping her up. "Right—they might start looking for us, too." Elincia agreed.

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We arrived too late, the crowd of Golden Lords and Silver Cavs were dispersing. "Hey, what's going on?" I asked Oscar, who was nibbling on the straw of his Coke cup. "We lost, by a point," he sighed, "See Zelgius over there? He's as mad as hell." We all looked toward the Zelgius, and his face was red with rage.

"Doesn't seem like a good time to piss him off even more." Oscar sighed, standing up to toss his empty soda cup, "But Lucia, we've got to win the relay race if we have any chance of going to be the over-all champions."

"But it's not fair!" Zelgius was yelling at Sain, "don't the losing team get to challenge the other losing ones?"

"I'm sorry, Zelgius," Sain said, "but Marcus and Oswin decided that if you lose, you're out. Forgive us—we don't have enough time to allot for the intramurals. Can't always be game time, you know?" Sain tried to lighten Zelgius up, but Zelgius had half a mind to throw Sain clear over the university. Zelgius was normally a peace-loving guy, but it was really not the time to piss him off. "Uh…I'll be going now, see you!" Sain trotted off.

I sighed and walked over to the events poster. The track event would be in two hours, and I wanted to be as focused as possible.

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Elincia and I wanted to kill time, so we went over to the shooting range. The targets were lined up. A team who'd shoot the most bull's-eyes would win. Looking around, I saw several classmates of ours and some faculty members. Isadora and Louise were sitting off in a corner.

"Hello," Louise smiled, "I am hoping that the Lords would be winners here. I heard that they didn't do too well in Basketball."

"Yeah," I nodded, "just don't tell that to Zelgius."

Louise laughed, and Isadora managed a smile. "That little guy—Soren, was he? He is surprisingly talented in archery. But he told me he didn't want to touch another bow when this is done." I laughed at that remark. That was really Soren—he wanted to stick to books more than anything.

We focused our attention on the archers as they warmed up.

"Yo Rolf," Shinon said, "do you really think you can beat me?"

The lime-haired freshman shook his head quickly. "I don't think so, Shinon! The teacher's always better than the student!"

Shinon laughed and ruffled Rolf's hair. "It is always the happiest occasion to a teacher when he is finally surpassed by his student." Shinon said. Rolf smiled and walked off to rejoin his team. "But that doesn't mean you're better than me yet!" Shinon called back.

The archers lined up, and readied their bows. "Let's do this, shrimp." Shinon whispered to Soren. "Fifty arrows, fifty targets. How many dead centers could you get?"

Soren didn't respond, he had his jaw clenched in determination. The whistle blew, and arrows flew from their bows. The sun gleamed on the colored arrows, and for a moment one would have thought that fireworks were flying instead.

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I was on my way to the bulletin boards to check our rankings. Along the way, I met up with Mia in the cafeteria. "Hey there, Lucia! How's it going? Where's Elincia?" Mia asked, guzzling some water. I shrugged, "Nothing much, really, I was just going to check out the results so far. As for Ellie, she went to the cheerleading place to practice."

"Yeah, which reminds me, the track is in 30 minutes, right?" Mia said, "May the best girl win!" We laughed and parted ways. I turned my attention back to the brown corkboard behind me. Tracing down the list, I groaned. We were beaten in basketball and Chess, but won in Archery and Volleyball.

"Wow," I muttered, "Soren really surprised me there."

If the Golden Lords could win two more events; either the Relay race, Cheerleading or Olympiad, we would have a chance of being the overall champions. Well, it would be up to me to ensure our team wins the Relay Race. I couldn't let this team down.

Suddenly, a heavy hand clamped down on my shoulder. "Well, well, well, all alone right now?" a taunting voice asked. I turned around and came face to face with Ludveck.

"What do you want?" I asked warily. Ludveck, though he was a junior, was undoubtedly a senior when it came to being a jerk. Ludveck grinned and pinned me against the wall. I grunted and tried to kick him, but his grip was so firm it hurt to move. He pushed his face close to mine and hissed, "There are actually two things I want right now. One: you. Two: for the Archers to win the overall championships."

"You've got such a lousy team. How do you expect to win?" I shot back. "Let me go, jerk!"

"Actually, with you out of the way, I think this will make winning a whole lot easier. Since you're the starting runner and you set the pace for your teammates, imagine how easy it will be with you out. That slow dolt Oscar takes forever to get warmed up." Ludveck said.

He reached behind his pocket and pulled out a bottle. "Take a deep breath, and all my problems will be solved." He smiled wickedly. I tried to hold my breath, but I was slowly losing the battle.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing." It was more of a statement than a question, and Ludveck quickly let go of me and I slumped to the floor. My head spun and my limbs felt like they were made of lead. "Lady Limstella, what a surprise." He smiled innocently.

"You were harassing her and planned to cheat on the relay race." Limstella stated, as if she knew it all along. "I could charge you with sexual harassment, cheating and possession of illegal substances. Hand me that bottle you have."

"You can't do this!" Ludveck yelled.

"I can, and I will. In case you didn't know," Limstella snapped her fingers and I saw several faculty members appear as if by magic. Among them were Jaffar, Sonia, and Ursula. "…Principal Eliwood stations faculty members to watch out for cheating incidents."

Ludveck, knowing he would lose this one, quickly surrendered the bottle and stalked off.

"Are you alright?" Ursula asked me, producing some healing powder from her pocket. "Here, take this. It'll ward off the fumes."

After a while, my head began to feel normal again. "Thank you so much," I exclaimed. "I don't think I would have made it out in one piece if it weren't for you." "No problem at all," Sonia said coyly, "now run along and go do whatever you have to do." As I turned to leave, I saw something odd as Sonia flipped her hair back, exposing on her neck a tattoo of a rose.

_**MidnightStriker:**__ I'm still alive, I think. Just facing a writer's block. Thank you for your continued reading and reviewing!_


	17. Journal 16x: Teachers

**Journal 16x: Teachers**

_**Author's Note:**__ For those of us familiar with Fire Emblem, who doesn't love side chapters? Every journal marked with an "X" means it's centered on the teachers. It's like a short detour from student lives. Welcome to the Faculty! _

"Please?"

"No."

"I'm begging."

"I wasn't asking."

The reply from the blue-haired English teacher earned a pout from the blonde French teacher. "But Isadora," Louise whined, "I really can't help it! I feel so…needy today." Isadora sighed and closed her eyes. If there was one liability about her blonde-haired lover, it would be her sex drive. Were all French teachers like that?

"Alright," Isadora caved in. "I think most of our colleagues are out coaching anyway."

Amid the din of the student's cheers for their respective teams, the two lovers quietly slipped away to the faculty. "Make it quick, though," Isadora whispered as they walked along the hallways, "you never know when someone could just barge in."

"That's what locks are for, dear." Louise grinned. "And that's why they have _keys._" Isadora replied. "Do you always have to be so practical? Why don't we try the Band Room? Nils could've left, you know." Louise wasn't ready to give up, and she really wanted to take her time ravishing her lover.

"Hmmm…" Isadora pondered, "aren't the chess players still wrapping up their tournaments in there?"

"The last game was played at 10:00am. And that was the championships." Louise said. "I checked their schedule when I passed by."

"…fine. To the band room, then." Isadora nodded.

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"See? I told you it was empty." Louise said triumphantly as they opened the door a crack. "Nils sure is quick in fixing this room." Isadora commented. "Hey, I remember playing that French horn back in High…"

"Shut up and just concentrate on playing on _this _French." Louise said foxily, grabbing Isadora in a hot French kiss.

Isadora's hands quickly slipped the blue blouse off Louise's porcelain-white shoulders and got to work on her skirt. Louise's right hand was tangled on Isadora's blue locks, and her left hand was making a beeline south.

Isadora gasped as Louise brushed against her sensitive spot, and Louise moved from her lips to her neck.

If the two lover's ears hadn't been deafened by passion, they would have heard Kent and Pent's voices approaching.

"We forgot the snare drum, Sir Pent." Kent was saying apologetically, his hand resting on the doorknob. "Is Nils in?" Pent asked. "I believe that Sir Nils is off on his lunch break." Kent responded to his senior. "Do you think he would mind if we borrowed that irksome drum without his permission? He hates it when people come and borrow the instruments without his permission." Pent replied.

"Are you sure, Sir Pent? Sir Nils wouldn't mind. It's just a drum." Kent said. "Come on; let's get it and head back. The cheering competition is starting in half an hour and the students need to practice." Kent swung the door open and was greeted by the sight of two very…indecent women.

"Good Ashera! What is this!" he exclaimed. "Sir Pent, your betrothed has been cheating on you behind your back!"

His voice cleared the afterglow off Louise and Isadora's eyes, and Louise quickly sat up at the mention of Pent's name. Pent came in, a puzzled look on his face. "Louise?" he asked, "would you mind explaining this?"

Louise was too startled to reply, and Pent came close to his fiancée, covering her with his robe. "I…I'm sorry!" Louise said, tears coming to her eyes, "I know that what I've done to you is unacceptable!"

"It truly is." Kent replied, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "What do you have to say for yourself, Isadora?" Isadora was stunned, and was only able to piece together a few words. Her normally calm composure was gone. "Uh…I'm…sorry? It's not like there were any students here anyway."

"But if they walked in instead of Sir Pent and I?! That would be a very bad example!" Kent backhanded Louise across the face, and the blonde sprawled across the cold linoleum floor. Pent frowned and grabbed Kent's wrist. "Sir Kent, I believe this is my problem. Even though I will call off our engagement due obvious reasons, she is still a dear friend to me. If you hurt her again, I swear it's not going to be pretty." Pent helped Louise into a sitting position and gently touched her cheek.

"It's going to sting awhile, but it'll be over soon." Pent said, following it up with a Runic chant. Immediately Louise felt better, and held Pent's hand. "Sir Pent..." Louise said, "thank you for understanding. …I'm sorry. It's not that I don't love you anymore, it's just that…I think I'm just not a normal woman. I still love you as a friend."

Pent smiled. "I understand, Louise. I'm still going to be your friend. I do not have any ill feelings towards both of you, and I wish for your happiness." He glanced at Isadora. "Isadora—take care of Louise. She's a very valuable treasure you will cherish."

Isadora nodded, and Pent stood up to go.

"Come on, Sir Kent. It's time we bring this snare drum to the students, yes?" Pent called.

Kent's jaw was clenched, yet he followed his senior colleague. "This isn't the end." He hissed to Louise and Isadora. "I swear, it isn't."

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Kent left the drum delivery to Pent, saying that he needed to take care of some business, which was true in a sense. He hurried to the Academic Office, where Lekain was.

"I have to see Sir Lekain." Kent said to the secretary. "Sir Lekain is busy at the moment." She replied, "perhaps you would like to leave a message?" "But it's urgent." He persisted. "It's Code SR."

"'Code SR'? What do you mean by…"

"Just tell him that, OK?" Kent said impatiently.

"Alright," the secretary sighed, picking up the phone. "Sir Lekain, Sir Kent wants to see you. He says it's 'Code SR'."

"'Code SR'? Send him in at once." Lekain responded.

The secretary nodded at Kent. "He says you may come in." Kent breathed a sigh of relief, and quickly entered the door marked, "Vice-Principal Lekain."

Kent quickly shut the door, and waited to be acknowledged. "Kent, good to see you." Lekain said, "I understand you have news for me?" "Sir Lekain, I have found two more members of that dastardly group 'The Silent Rose'."

"Oh? And who would they be?"

"English Teacher Isadora, and French Teacher Louise." Kent replied.

"I thought Louise was engaged to that Physics teacher Pent?" Lekain queried, preparing a new file for the two. "They broke it off just a few hours ago. Sir Pent and I caught them in the 'act'." Kent answered. "Hmm. Is Sir Pent upset? Perhaps all is not lost if we recruit him." "I'm afraid that the chances are slim, sir." Kent said, "he seemed pretty OK with it."

"We have to just keep tabs on these people. The Chosen is still a fledgling group, and the Silent Rose is far deeper than I imagined." Lekain sighed. "We'll just lay low and try to recruit more members. Even if it means recruiting students."

"Yes, sir." Kent nodded, getting up to leave.

"Oh, and sir Kent?" Lekain called out.

"Sir?"

"Keep up the excellent work."

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_**MidnightStriker:**__ Hope you guys enjoyed this 'side quest'! I needed an introduction of the opposing team. We'll see more of Isadora and Louise's struggles in the near future, as well as other members of the Silent Rose. The Chosen is obviously led by Lekain, and it's going to be a thorn on the side of our heroines…_

_**Kurjuus:**__ Hey there! Welcome to the world of Tellius High. I'm glad to see that you're enjoying it so far. I hope you'll continue to enjoy the upcoming chapters!_

_**Sonic Phantom:**__ thanks for your continued support!_


	18. Journal 17: Champions

_**Author's Note: **...merry Christmas, everyone! Here's my gift to you ;)_

**Journal 17: Champions**

(Normal POV)

The silent group of teachers watched Lucia go. Just moments ago, this cluster of faculty known collectively as the "Black Fang", saved Lucia from Ludveck's harassment.

"I don't know what to do with them," sighed Ursula. "They seem to be growing more and more." "Who are you talking about?" Sonia asked her.

"You know full well—that young man Ludveck is part of Lekain's group, 'The Chosen'." Ursula answered.

"Lekain? You mean the Vice Principal?" Limstella queried.

"Exactly. I've heard from Sephiran that he's a threat to the Silent Rose." Ursula continued. "Ah—you mean that organization you and Sonia have joined?" Limstella continued. "Yes, the one that provides a safe haven for us." Ursula smiled at her lover. Sonia cleared her throat and said teasingly, "Don't do that to me in public."

"How is this Lekain a threat?" Jaffar asked. He spoke the least, but when he did, it was straight to the point. Sonia took over for Ursula and explained, "Lekain is well known for his inconsiderate nature. Unfortunately, his façades somehow slip Eliwood's better judgment. Lekain organized The Chosen, both within and without the faculty, to somehow find out about the Silent Rose, disband it, and send the members to different parts of the country."

"Ouch," Limstella said, "do you need the other members of the Black Fang? We are ready to help our sisters. I can call Brendan Reed and…" "No, it's not necessary," Ursula smiled, "but should it be, we know you're always there to watch our back."

* * *

(Lucia's POV)

I was puzzled over the fact that Sonia had the tattoo of the Silent Rose. I always thought that it was only students who were part of it.

"Hey, where've you been?!" Ike's voice called out. He sounded annoyed. "It's ten minutes until game time. You were supposed to be here twenty minutes ago!"

"I'm sorry, Ike." I said sincerely, "but something sidetracked me."

"It better not be boy problems." I heard Ike mutter, and then he yelled, "OK, warm up!"

Oscar dropped on the ground to do some stretches, and I followed suit. I was regretting that the track event coincided with the Cheerleading competition, so I wasn't able to watch Elincia.

"Alright everyone," Ike said, "in two minutes, this event is going to start. I want you all to try your best! Don't let anything get you down. Remember, the Lords are the Rulers, yeah? All for one…"

"…and one for all!" Oscar and I bounced our fists off Ike.

"Let's win this!" Oscar said, trotting over to the starting line. We positioned ourselves at the starting line, every nerve taut as a bowstring.

"On your marks," Oswin said, lifting the starter's pistol, "…get set…"

"GO!!!"

At the sound of the pistol, everyone shot forward. "Lucia! Lucia! Lucia!" I heard everyone calling my name, and taking off like a rocket, I soon felt Ike's presence near me. "Take it home, Ike!!" I yelled, slamming down the baton on his palm. Ike winced slightly, and then he tore ahead of Volug, Geoffrey and Vika.

"VIKAAAA!!!" Naesala roared, "Don't put us blackwings to shame!"

"Just…a little…more…" I panted, seeing that Ike had two more people to pass: Nailah, and Mia. The finish line was in sight, and I noticed the silver hair of Nailah retreat behind Ike. That gave him the boost he needed. But the next few moments were fuzzy, because before I knew it, I blacked out…

* * *

When I finally came to, I was in the school clinic's bed. I was groggy, plus I had a splitting headache. "What happened?"

"Finally! You're awake!" Elincia came near and planted a kiss on my cheek. "I was so worried when you passed out." "I…passed out?" I asked, puzzled. Now THAT was a new record for lame. "It didn't look that lame," Mia consoled, bounding up on my bed. "Besides, look what the Lords dragged home!"

My eyes widened in shock as I saw what Elincia was holding: A trophy signifying that we won the over-all championship this year. "This is…this is…" I couldn't find the words to say it, "…too good to be true?" Elincia finished for me. "You can say that, yeah." I grinned. "Hey everybody!" Mia yelled into the hall, "Lucia's awake!"

Before I knew it, all the Lord Team's athletes were pouring into the clinic. "Alright!" Ike cheered, "I can finally win my bet from Ranulf!"

Oscar, ever-so-considerate, leaned down. "I was worried when you blacked! What happened?" "I just got the wind knocked out of me," I replied, not wanting to disclose full details about Ludveck's ambush lest I worry him. I knew it was probably that gas he forced me to breathe was what caused this. "I'm OK."

"Great!" he smiled. He was about to say something else, but Zelgius muscled his way through. "Excuse me for a sec, Oscar," he said, "I want to congratulate our champion!" "Hey, I didn't do it all by myself you guys." I said. "Remember," Kieran reminded, "The victory of one—"

"—is the victory of all!" we all cheered. Jorge was even planning to throw a party, but miss Serra would have none of it. "Out, out, all of you! She needs to rest some more!" Serra bellowed, forcing everyone out. "You might send her into shock!"

I knew she was exaggerating, but I felt too happy to argue.

* * *

I was well enough to leave the clinic by late afternoon, around 4:30pm. Since the clinic was located on the first floor, I had to take the stairs to go to my locker, which is conveniently placed on the fourth floor. After being caught up with all the athletic events, I'm sure that the floodgates of homework will be opened up to us.

Not surprisingly, the hallway was empty, since everyone already left. At least, I thought everyone did. On my way to the lockers, I heard a classroom door close and some footsteps. Curiosity killed the cat, or so they say, but I couldn't resist looking for the source of the noise. Since all classrooms had one long window along a wall, it was easy to take a peek. Finding a good vantage point, I began observing.

Inside the classroom, I saw Geoffrey, Callil, and Valtome. "Well, congrats on your team, Callil," Valtome was saying, his voice sarcastic. His chair was tipped back, making it stand on its two back legs. I wished that it would break and Valtome in turn would break his neck.

"It's not as if it were my fault the Lords won," Callil scoffed. I knew her well enough to know that she didn't take losing easily. "We must have had lots of power players this year."

"You didn't give Ludveck the proper opportunity to gas their runner!" Valtome yelled, slamming his fist on the table. "It would have given us a chance!" I flinched at the last part. So, this Valtome character was really as shady as he looked. I could've died and he wouldn't have cared as long as I was out of the picture.

Callil didn't reply, so Geoffrey asked Valtome, "Is sir Lekain coming in yet?"

"He should be here in a couple of minutes." Valtome hissed, "As if our time wasn't wasted enough already."

Soon enough, a few minutes later Lekain entered with a red-faced Sir Kent.

Lekain? What would the Vice-Principal be doing with a couple of students? You were only called into his office if you had some emo problems, or something like that. Well, probably the three students got in trouble with Sir Kent, and here was Lekain smoothing ruffled feathers instead of Eliwood. That has to be it.

"I'm sorry I'm late," he began pleasantly, "because sir Kent here had to tell me something."

"And that affects us because…?" Valtome responded, raising a perfectly plucked eyebrow.

"Because it is the main point of the organization I am going to recruit you into." Lekain responded. "Sir Kent came to me this morning because he found out two—"infidels of nature", I must say."

Infidels of nature? Huh. Who would have thought this old man sounded so colorful with his words. I pressed closer, this sounded almost…like a conspiracy.

"What do you mean?" Geoffrey asked. He was obviously the "new kid on the block"—he had no clue about anything. "What he means is, my boy, is that he found two teachers making out in the band room. That is a problem, yes, but what makes it worse is that they were both…_women_." Lekain explained. My eyes widened in shock. Who were they?

Valtome echoed my thoughts. "Who were they?" he asked. His eyes were filling with anger. "Thankfully they are not your teachers, Valtome, but unfortunately for you, Miss Callil, it's your English teacher Isadora and her 'lover'…Louise."

"Louise? Wasn't she engaged to Sir Pent?" Callil asked in surprise. "They broke it off." Kent responded. Callil frowned, and said, "Sir Pent and ma'am Louise would've made a great couple too."

"Scum like them is not allowed to be here!" Valtome yelled, earning nods of agreement from Callil and Geoffrey. "It pleases me that you share my same sentiments." Lekain said, obviously pleased. "Would you like to join me in my endeavor to cleanse the school of such?"

"Yes sir, please do!" Valtome nodded eagerly. Lekain smiled and looked at Kent, who nodded. "Well, it is then my greatest pleasure to welcome you—to the campaign of The Chosen."

I stood as if in shock, and forgetting about why I came up here in the first place, then defrosted enough to warn Sephiran of this new threat I discovered.

* * *

_**MidnightStriker: **How long has it been? I haven't updated in a while, and I sincerely apologize. But some positive, uplifting reviews asking me to continue means that this story is still enjoyed, yes? Thank you **Kurjuus, Sonic Phantom, The Anonymous Candybar, FEmetalhead, TheLoveBrigade and Dr. Weirdo 69! **That got me going. Here's hoping for your continued support!_

_That and, well, a really good YoruSoi fic xD [It's "The Price of Redemption" by PolarisAmane for those who are interested!]_


	19. Journal 18: Winners

**Journal 18: Winners**

After I shared my discovery with Sephiran, he seemed strangely calm. Even a little amused. "Don't worry about it, Lucia." He smiled, patting my head, "The Silent Rose is stronger than you think." His last statement made me remember the tattoo on ma'am Sonia's neck, and I wondered just how far the roots of the Silent Rose went.

So, leaving everything in his more than capable hands, I didn't bother myself about it any longer.

* * *

Of course, as the months passed by, the Lords' championship was forgotten with the rush of exams and projects. Before we all knew it, December hit Crimea. It was bitterly cold the day I headed early for Modern Dance practice, and upon entering, thanked Ashera for the heated club rooms, or else the entirety of our club would be dealing with sprained muscles frozen from the cold.

I shook the snow of my hair and quickly put my things away and hurried to the dance floor, praying that Vaida wasn't there yet. If she was, oh Ashera help me.

Mia, Petrine, and Elincia were there already, doing some stretches to warm up. "Hey," I smiled in greeting, which Mia and Petrine returned Elincia walked over to me. "Your hands are cold," she said, taking both of my hands in hers and blowing them in an effort to warm them up. "Ah, don't bother about it, it'll thaw." I responded.

"I don't want your soft hands to be chapped, Lucia, you better start wearing gloves. Or lotion." Elincia ordered me. Her concern for me was touching, to say the least, and I couldn't help but grin. "Yes, mother."

Before she could reply with another wisecrack, the door opened and Vaida blew in. "Whooooo-ee! It's freezing out there!" she said, stating the obvious. "My poor Umbriel had a frozen paw, so I had to load her up into a heated cage! That's going to raise my heating bill!"

"Maybe you could take it off her allowance," Petrine smirked. "Maybe I can take it off your grade!" Vaida snarled back. Vaida surveyed the room, and was annoyed to only find the four of us in attendance. "Where are the other girls?!" She yelled, starting up the music, "We have to practice because we haven't won a single PA this year! And how can we win with only the four of you?"

The door creaked open, and Ena stuck her head in. Seeing Vaida's flaming eyes, she smiled sweetly and asked, "And this is the part where I get scolded, right?"

"YOU BET YOUR ASS IT IS!" Vaida yelled, much to everyone's amusement. "Get to that corner, drop down, and give me 50!"

Sometimes I wonder if this is dance practice or boot camp.

* * *

Four weeks passed. Four weeks of torture and pain, thanks to Vaida. I thought that our final rehearsal for next week's assembly couldn't come fast enough.

"Mia! Kick that leg higher!" she yelled at my friend. Mia whimpered and tried to obey, her leg nearly parallel with her body. I unconsciously winced. That must hurt! "Lucia! Try to stay in sync with the beat! Petrine, you're too stiff! Try being more flexible!" The lucky ones who escaped the scolding session were Elincia, Marcia and Ena.

Vaida surveyed our sorry lot, and clapped her hands signaling the end of practice.

"I'm beat!" Mia sighed, flopping down on a mat. She reached for her water canteen and took a long drink. Vaida stood in front of all of us, and said, "This is going to be the best assembly we'll have, girls. With our new dance routine, we'll show them something they've never seen before! And we'll show that brat Eliwood we deserve this month's PA! You'll see; our hard work will pay off. DISMISSED!!!"

* * *

Tuesday morning found us as a bunch of jittery nerves. Even Petrine the Petrified was still doing stretches to warm herself up. Now _that's_ got me worried. If even our seniors don't feel ready, I guess we're, JUST NOT READY!

"Hello, everyone, it's time for our monthly assembly." Rajaion, the month's emcee, announced enthusiastically. "Despite the cold weather, our clubs are on fire! Considering the fact that it's December and it's a club's favorite PA reward, they are breathing FIRE at each other to win!" I rolled my eyes. Despite his good looks, Rajaion was a bit too obsessed with his Goldoan roots. Did I mention the fact that he's Ena's boyfriend? They've been going out for a while, and they're a pretty cute couple.

As I scanned the sea of faces, I saw Lekain a bit too close for comfort to the stage. The conspiracy I heard the other day made me completely change the way I looked at him. "Hey!" Mia said, playfully bonking me on the head, "snap out of that grim look, we're gonna win, I'm sure."

"Y-yeah, we'd better," I grinned, rubbing the sore spot on my head where her fist connected, "or else Vaida's gonna feed us to Umbriel." "Double time, girls!" Vaida called, "after the Glee Club's number, we're next. And, uh…" she glanced back at our grim faces, "don't lose your cool."

Wow. She was actually being nice, for once?

"Now I present to you, my favorite club…the Modern Dance Club!" Rajaion announced enthusiastically. "Good luck babe," he winked at Ena as they passed each other. I noticed her blush and giggle like a lovesick schoolgirl. I shook my head, and then suddenly I felt Elincia pull me for a quick hug. "Don't think that Rajaion is the only one who flirts with his girl," she purred. I laughed and we share a discreet kiss behind the wings. Well, with encouragement like that, I felt a hundred times more confident than ever before.

The AV room started up our track, and I took a deep breath, positioned myself let my body be carried away by the music…

* * *

"Nice! Very nice!" Vaida patted us on the back as we descended the stage, "everyone's in sync! Now go grab some popcorn so we can watch these losers!" she let out a loud laugh, causing her fellow faculty members Ninian, Nils and Priscilla to glare at her. "Ahem…sorry about that!" Vaida apologized quickly.

Just like always, after every performance Elincia and I sit in our secluded spot, away from the sea of performers who were always pressing close to the stage while waiting for Principal Eliwood's decision.

Too soon, our smiling redheaded principal came up to the stage to announce his decision. "You guys were really something," he began, "and I can see the effort you all put into this month's performance." A collective groan of protest arose from the backstage. As if we didn't put enough effort in _each_ performance!

"I don't mean that you didn't do as well during the previous months," Eliwood quickly added, trying to rectify his poor choice of words, "but as Rajaion said, I can feel the heat!" as he said so, his face quickly turned as red as his hair. That reaction caused the student body burst out laughing, though we couldn't tell if it was because felt the heat of our performance or because he was embarrassed. Either way, the mood was lightened.

"But one club that really caught my eye," he continued, regaining some composure, "was the Club of Modern Dance."

"THAT'S MODERN DANCE CLUB YOU DOLT!" Vaida yelled, causing the entire student body to laugh again. Eliwood laughed along, too, being the all-around nice guy he was. "Well, you are all winners. But I have to hand in my PA to the _Modern Dance Club_. Did I get that right this time, ma'am Vaida?" he asked jokingly, turning to face her. "It doesn't matter either way now that we've got the PA!!!" she exclaimed, ushering us up the stage to collect our hard earned reward. We all managed a grin while silently noting Vaida's poor rhyming skills.

* * *

After posing for photos and listening to Vaida's "I-told-you-so" remarks, we all crawled back to the dance room to change into our uniforms and head to class. Since Mia and Marcia had a quiz in English, they hurried off and were unable to hear Vaida's announcement. "So, we won the PA. What's in it for us?" Petrine asked, crossing her arms, "it better be worth our trouble."

"Our first PA of the year," Vaida's eyes sparkled. She faced Petrine to address her question "Remember, Petrine, it's December and we get Eliwood's approval to choose where we would like to perform a repeat performance."

We all cheered, and Ena asked, "So, where would you like to perform, girls?" We lapsed in silence for a bit, until Elincia suggested, "How about Begnion Square? Remember that there's a Christmas Festival and everything where traders from exotic places come each year? It would be really fun to browse the Bazaar in-between breaks of our performance."

"I agree!"

"Me too!"

Everyone unanimously (and enthusiastically) agreed to that, and I gave Ellie a smile, thanking her silently that she remembered that I've always wanted to go to the Begnion Square. She returned the smile, and taking my hand in hers, we walked off to our next class.

* * *

_**End Notes: **Another chapter done! Sorry if there isn't much Elincia/Lucia in this chapter, I really needed to downplay that part for a bit because it's important in the plot development, haha! Don't worry, the next two chapters will be more filling than this (and quicker, too!). Now that I've finally thawed out, I can start writing the next one ASAP._

_Special thanks to: **Striche: **thanks, I had a great holiday season! Hope you did too!_

_**Dr. Weirdo69:** Tried to make this one longer for you . I'll try to update quicker! I've also always thought Elincia's had her naughty moments too :P_

_**The Anonymous Candybar: **Glad to know I''ve made your holiday! I've always wanted to kick Valtome in the Sparta pit too! Let's do so together :))_

_**The Love Brigade: **I'm not too sure about Jaffar being SR material, never really thought about it! But hey, that's sounds like an idea! Oh, and sit tight, because things are still heating up in the upcoming chapters!_

_**Kurjuus: **I hope I made it in three weeks! Good to know you like YoruSoi too ^^ (and that you guys actually read endnotes, haha! Warms my heart~) Thanks for your continued support! _

_...and to all the other ones who read this story and support Elincia/Lucia. 'Til next time! _


	20. Journal 19: Kisses

**Journal 19: Kisses**

Winning the PA made my day, especially since Elincia picked Begnion Square's Christmas Festival as our trip. I was so excited; we were going to Begnion in two weeks! It was indeed pretty far from Crimea, since we had to cross either Daein or Gallia to reach it. Eliwoood was quite skeptical at first, but he noted that we were going to be with tough-as-nails Vaida, along with Jaffar, Louise and Serra. Serra had some knowledge of first aid, so she was allowed to come along.

Note that I said "allowed"…she begged (and even tried to bribe!) Eliwood to let her accompany us. I was in the Academic office that day, waiting for a gate pass to be signed, so I heard the whole thing.

**_Flashback:_**

"_Two of my students are in there," she smiled sweetly; "surely you wouldn't deprive me of encouraging them and seeing them at their full potential?" _

_Eliwood sighed, and, since he had lots of paperwork to do, just nodded and said, "Well, just make sure they're safe. Since you're a part-time nurse, bring your first-aid kit along in case something goes wrong." _

"_YAY!" Serra screamed, clamping down on Eliwood's neck, nearly cutting off his oxygen supply. "Thanks a lot, Red!" _

_As she skipped out the door, Eliwood rubbed his neck and mumbled, "My name's not 'Red'…what kind of faculty members do we have nowadays?" _

_**End Flashback**_

I placed the permission slip on my study desk to remind me to ask my mom to sign it so that I could go. Hopefully, Elincia's father would allow her to go, too. I settled on my bed and opened my Biology book. Even though we were allowed to go on that trip, it still didn't give us an excuse to miss tests and lectures. But a one day trip would be worth the stress.

I rolled over and stared at the ceiling. Perhaps that trip away from all this chaos was all Ellie and I needed to rekindle our relationship. After all, it wasn't anyone's fault, we were all so busy with schoolwork, and laying low was an added difficulty, even with our guise as "friends." I didn't spend as much time as I'd hoped to with her lately. I was really impatient for the Christmas break so that we could at least enjoy another day together before being with our respective families. With corporate bigwigs as parents, being together under one roof was rare, so having family time was really special to us.

My train of thought was interrupted as Geoffrey materialized in the doorway. "Oh, good, you're awake," he said, "I thought you were asleep."

I wisely kept my mouth shut. He was already my opponent over Elincia, and if he knew that we were on opposite sides—him being with the Chosen while I with the Silent Rose—it would cause me more, unnecessary trouble. "Did you need something?" I asked him, watching him carefully in case he began pawing my private stuff. He paused a moment, as if he momentarily forgot why he came here in the first place. "Uh, yeah, I needed your old report in Manners Class. Your teacher was sir Lucius too, right?" Wow. Nice save, Geoffrey.

"Yeah, let me get it for you." I said, getting up from my bed and looking through my old notes. "So, how's Elincia?" Geoffrey asked. With my back toward him, I was glad that I didn't see the smirk I heard in his voice. "She's doing fine." I replied. _Keep it short and to the point, Lucia,_ I thought to myself. _He doesn't need to know any more than he already does._

"Hah! You should know!" Geoffrey remarked. "What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, turning around and handing him the report. "You're her _girlfriend_, right? Shouldn't you like be keeping _in touch_ with _each other?_" he said. I winced, noting that each word he emphasized carried a double meaning. This conversation was turning ugly, and I was thinking of a way to end it quickly. "Listen, Geoffrey, just call a spade a spade* OK? I'm not catching on." I sighed.

"What happened to my normally intelligent sister? Is Elincia all what's inside your mind now?" Geoffrey taunted. I was about to tell him to step out, but suddenly, something on my study table caught his attention. And that something was my permission slip. "Hey, what's this?" he asked, picking it up and scanning it.

"Geoffrey, you only came here for my Manners Report, right?" I rolled my eyes, trying to keep my patience in check.

"What? That's where principal Eliwood allowed you to go?" he sounded shocked as he continued to read the form.

"Yes, he did." I answered. "Here, take the report and go. I have to study for my Biology test tomorrow." Geoffrey took the file without saying anything else, but as our eyes met, I saw a mixture of jealousy, anger—and sadness.

I sighed again as I returned to my forsaken book.

Even if we didn't see eye to eye, he was still my brother. But why was he making things so difficult? Perhaps unrequited love brings out the dark side of your psyche. It twists and changes your personality until you have something way different that what you've started with. Hey, perhaps I should be a philosophy teacher in the near future!

My train of thought was interrupted when my bedside phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Lucy! You're not going to believe this!" Just the sound of my beloved's voice brought a smile on my face and made me forget about Geoffrey's sad face...at least for a while.

"What is it, Ellie?" I asked, playing along for her although I already knew the answer.

"My parents allowed me to go!" she exclaimed. "How about you? Did they allow you?" "M-my parents aren't home yet, but I'll call you as soon as I get my permission slip signed." I sighed.

"Oh, I see. I won't keep you long, then, I know we have a quiz tomorrow." Elincia replied, "But I'll be expecting that call. Sometime tonight, I hope."

I could hear the smile in her voice. "I promise I'll call you back later." I said, "The moment I get that form signed."

As soon as I hung up, I heard the family car approaching the driveway, and a few moments later heard my mother's voice asking Geoffrey how his day was. I snatched my permission slip from my desk and hurried to greet my mother.

"Hello, Lucia," she smiled, "and what have you got there?" "Oh, uh, the modern dance club just won this month, so Principal Eliwood allowed us to go to the Christmas Festival in Begnion. I was hoping you would allow me to go." I explained.

"Is that the permission slip?" she asked.

"Yes, mom." I answered, handing it over. Her eyes read over the fine print as meticulously as Geoffrey did a few minutes ago. After a few tense moments (for me, at least), she pulled out her pen and signed it. My sigh of relief was audible. "Now," my mom said, turning to me, "promise me you'll take care of yourself, and don't get into any trouble. Call me when you get there."

"T-thanks, mom!" I exclaimed, hugging her tightly. "I won't forget!"

I barreled down the hallway and ran back to my room, quickly dialing a now familiar number. "Ellie, we're going to Begnion!"

* * *

The Christmas Festival was one of Begnion's biggest events. As soon as we arrived into Begnion territory, snow began softly falling. "It's perfect!" Mia whooped, "it's like something right out of a storybook!" "Now, keep your head on your shoulders, girl!" Vaida ordered. "Don't tell me you left it behind in Crimea!"

We all laughed as we piled out of the bus, eager to stretch our legs after the long drive. "OK, gather around for our schedule, everyone." Louise announced. "It is now 11 AM; our first performance will be at 2 P.M. You have more than enough time to check out the bazaar and have your lunch. Be back before 1:30 P.M., and always stay with your partner."

After a few more precautions and rules, we were finally free to do what we pleased—at least until 1:30. "Hey, Lucia," Elincia said, snuggling closer to me, "do you remember what Sephiran told us to look for when we arrived?"

To be honest, I totally forgot. I was just too excited to spend some alone time with her.

Elincia laughed at the cluelessness written all over my face. "He told us that if we look at the archway before the Mainal Cathedral, we would see a peculiar decoration of leaves and berries in the shape of a ring which is called'mistletoe.'"

"And what is so important about this 'mistletoe'?" I asked.

"You'll see when we get there." She replied.

I sighed. If there was one thing about her, she loved keeping me in suspense.

We walked in silence for a few more minutes, until she suddenly stopped and pointed at the archway. "Do you see it, Lucia?" she asked. I squinted a bit, and walked back a few steps. "Oh, yeah, that ring of leaves…that's the mistletoe?" I asked, looking at her. Elincia nods, still smiling. "OK, I see it now. So, before I go crazy with the suspense, what in Ashera's name is so good about this mistletoe?"

Elincia didn't say anything, but took my hand and we walked until we were directly under the mistletoe. She looked into my eyes, placed both hands on my cheek, and leaned forward. I returned her kiss, and in that instant, it felt like we had our first kiss all over again. I felt the same passion as I did back then.

After breaking the kiss, I held her close as she whispered, "Sephiran told me that when lovers meet under hanging mistletoe, they are obliged to kiss. I don't know why, exactly, but the feeling I had when I kissed you under it was special, as if we had our first kiss again." _So she felt it too! _I thought happily.

Hugging her tighter, I whispered, "Merry Christmas, my princess. I love you." To which she replied, "I love you too, my swordmaster. Merry Christmas."

* * *

_**MS Notes:**_ _I'm aliiiive! Well, I have no excuses. It's not Christmas, but story-wise, it is. Heheh. I have absolutely no good reason to explain my lengthy absence except that I was struck by laziness + writer's block. But I hope that this satisfies my patient readers and reviewers (I love you all, thanks for not giving up hope!), and that this not the last chapter before I vanish for another 2+ years. _

_Again, I love you all :P_

_*"Calling a spade a spade" means to speak honestly and/or directly about a topic._


	21. Journal 20: Visitors

**Journal 20: Visitors**

The first week of December marked the beginning of Winter Break, a temporary escape from that wretched learning institution. A week before exams Elincia and I got together for a few hours after school to study for our final exams, sometimes with friends, most times without. And it was all worth it. Not blowing my own horn but hey, we're a smart group; we grasped the material quickly and ended up hanging out more than studying!

After exams, Elincia and I spent our first vacation day together in a simple fashion—just lunch at our favorite restaurant and a quiet walk in the park.

When the sun began to set, Elincia dragged me to a café for some hot drinks while we waited for our chauffeurs. After placing our orders and being left alone, Elincia reached across the table for my hands and entwined our fingers, her eyes somewhat downcast.

"Is anything wrong?" I ask. Ellie sighs softly, and averts her gaze to the window. I look at our hands which were entwined, just like our hearts. I quietly pray to Ashera our destinies in the future will be, as well.

We were quiet for a few moments, the silence comfortable but held a bit of tension. Our silence spoke volumes; Elincia and I reached the point in our relationship where needless chatter was not needed to fill empty space.

As I pondered on that, Elincia finally spoke. "Father and Uncle Renning want me to use this vacation 'wisely,'" she began, emphasizing "wisely." "Oh, you mean they want you to study for next term?" I asked. "I wish," Elincia smiled—perhaps partly due to my naïveté, partly trying to lighten the mood. But it was a hollow, forced smile. I noted that I had to tread lightly. "So. Uh, what's worse than studying?" I asked, rubbing small circles on her hands. As Elincia was about to answer the question, the waitress came with our orders, forcing us to break apart.

Elincia quickly wrapped her hands around her beverage, and I, in contrast, slowly reached for mine. "You were saying…?"

"Oh Lucia, they want to take me on one of their annual business trips around Tellius. They said it was 'time for me to learn the business.' I mean, it's not as if I have not been on one before, it's just…I don't know…" Elincia rambled, trying to gauge my reaction.

If she couldn't read my face, I was not surprised. I wasn't sure how to react, either. "Well," I paused as I took a sip of my hot cocoa, "you said that you have been to these trips before, so you should be OK, right? What's so different about this one?"

Elincia set down her cup, and looked directly into my eyes. "I didn't have to leave my heart behind before."

If my face was red from the heat, I would be turning an extraordinary shade of crimson right now. I swallow hard, trying to think of something to say. I was taken aback by Elincia's words. She was perhaps the most unselfish person I ever met. Oh Ashera, how did I get so lucky? "I was hoping we could spend Christmas with each other," I whispered, and looked down. "I mean, it's gonna be our first one together, right?" "The first of many," Elincia smiled, and I catch myself smiling back. "But how…?"

Elincia reached for my hands again. "I'll be back before Christmas, Lucy. I promise. And when have I ever broken a promise?" she grins, stroking my hand this time. "Well then, I'll take your word for it, Ellie." I reply, sounding more confident than I felt.

As we lean in for a kiss, two honks signified Elincia's driver was here. She looks at the car, then at me. Holding up a hand, she pulls me up, leads me away from the window to a quiet corner near the exit, and gently drew me in for a kiss. "I'll see you before Christmas," she reaffirmed, "perhaps even earlier than that. Would you like anything for Christmas, Lucy?"

"Just to see you safe and sound," I answered, "you're already the best gift I ever received, and more. Take care, Ellie." Elincia smiles, caresses my cheek one last time, and leaves. I return to the window and see her take one last look back at me. I raised a hand in farewell, and she would have done the same if only her impatient driver honks again, and that sent her into the car.

I sighed and dropped my hand, noting that snowflakes began its descent. The headlights' retreating glare made the edges of the snowflakes glitter like tears. Like the ones that ran down my cheeks.

* * *

The last phone call I received from Ellie was three days ago, on the 21st. The phone call was brief; perhaps phone service was expensive where she was. She mentioned that she was in Phoenicis. That was waaaaaay south of Tellius. "I just want you to know that I'm always thinking of you, perhaps even more than the business!" Elincia laughed. I laugh along with her before growing serious.

"Take care of yourself, Ellie. Don't stress yourself if you can't make it back! I would totally—" I began.

"Lucy, I have to go," she suddenly says, "Uncle Renning says it's been over one minute. I love you."

"I l—" click. The phone line goes dead. I sighed as I place the phone back into its cradle. It's not a wonder long distance relationships don't work most of the time. It's mad expensive to make calls and stay in touch. And pretty frustrating, too, waiting for snail mail or a hastily made phone call. Way different than seeing each other, holding each other, and, well, just being _able _to be together.

Since Elincia left, I've made the sitting room _MY _room. My parents have long since given up on attempts of making me move away, they just told me that if there were guests, I _will _have to leave. Fine by me, we rarely have any visitors this time of the year. Given a choice, I wouldn't be here either, but this is the only place in the house with a phone. With a manse this big, it would have been practical to have a phone in _every _bedroom, but some parents still believe that teenagers should not have secrets.

I glanced at the calendar beside the ancient grandfather clock, and slowly let out a breath I didn't know I held.

Three weeks and two days since my first mistletoe kiss.

Three weeks and a day since the final exams.

Three weeks since I last saw Ellie.

I try relaxing in the sitting room's ancient chairs. Why do sitting rooms always have the most uncomfortable chairs?! On the contrary, shouldn't they have the most comfortable chairs, hence the name "Sitting Room?" When Elincia left, it began to snow. Now, about three weeks later, it was a full-scale blizzard. If Elincia couldn't have made it home then, she wouldn't possibly be able to make it home now.

I sighed in frustration, rearranging myself in the woolen blanket I brought with me. Glancing at the calendar, I cringed. With barely more than a few hours before midnight, it would take a miracle for Elincia to come back to Crimea. Phoenicis was at least a day and a half away from here by train, and with the heavy blizzard, it did seemed even more unlikely for her to come home.

Turning over the troubled thoughts in my head, I didn't realize that I fell into a fitful slumber.

Perhaps no more than two hours passed, because I heard the grandfather clock chime twice, when I heard heavy thudding on the front door. Now, the sitting room is not very far from there; it's actually the nearest room one could go after entering the front door.

I didn't bother to open my eyes, raise my head or even move; I was too depressed to do anything. I could hear the maids scurrying to get the door, and my father's weighted footfalls descending the staircase. I heard the howling winds and the wet slosh of several pairs of boots in the entryway. _The servants will have a loooooot of mopping to do tomorrow, _I thought.

I could hear the low rumble of male voices, and noted that my mother descended the stairs as well. I knew she would be hiding near the foyer: keeping out of sight but still being able to eavesdrop on the conversation the men were having. They were probably a few of the company's associates asking for a last-minute Christmas donation. A few minutes later, save for the low voices, my mother began moving towards the sitting room, with only one intention in mind.

Oh Ashera, I did _not _want to leave. What if Elincia had to call and I would miss it?! Nevertheless, I could hear my mother's voice by the door. "LUCIA! Are you decent? Get out of there, we have some guests."

I growled as I pulled myself and the wool throw off the armchair I was claimed my own for the past three weeks. As I did so, I heard one of the male voices saying, "Please, ma'am, that won't be necessary. It is for the best that we be on our way…" Diverting her attention from me, my mother answered the strange visitor. "Then I will have the servants at least pour some hot drinks in a thermos flask before you leave. You'll die of the cold if you don't have something warm in your systems."

I rolled my eyes. My mother, hostess extraordinaire. Quick to initiate, slow to act. Too bad she didn't do any of the hospitality actions herself, though.

As I made my way to my bedroom, I heard another of the pair speaking, "Thank you once again for taking her in; we didn't know who to turn to. We didn't want to bring her with us to Daein; it will be dangerous for a young woman such as herself. We were to stay in Goldoa for Christmas, but an emergency came, and…"

"Please, don't worry yourself over it," I heard my father say, visualizing in my mind's eye his kind smile. "We have plenty of rooms, and one person more will make Christmas all the merrier. Will you be alright by yourselves, gentlemen?"

"We'll be alright," the first voice spoke again, "our apologies once more for a hasty retreat, but we really have to leave now." "Take care, sir." I heard the squelch of gloves signifying a handshake, and the thud of the front door signified the two visitors had left.

"Well, it looks like you'll be here for Christmas," my father nods towards the remaining figure. "Please, make yourself at home. The servants will show you to the guest room."

"I appreciate your kind hospitality, Sir Delbray," the all-too familiar voice replied. "You have done more than enough. I…" "Please, save the pleasantries," my father's booming laugh reverberated through the house. "Get some sleep, and we'll talk more in the morning. It's been a long day for you." With that, I heard my parents retreating to their quarters, along with most of the servants.

"Thank you, sir," came the response. My eyes opened wide, and grabbing my throw, I sped towards the entryway. "Elincia!" I cried, wrapping her with the blanket. "You…you made it…" I sobbed, overcome with emotion.

She softly stroked my sky-blue hair, and I hugged her tightly, hoping some warmth would reach her. "I'll take it from here," I mentioned to the remaining servants, who nod their approval and return to their quarters. When the commotion died down, I led her up to my room.

"I knew you'd be home for Christmas." My smile was as wide as the Cheshire cat's.

"Well, home is where the heart is," she replied, gently wiping away the salty streaks left by my tears.

As we shared one last kiss, the grandfather clock chimed. "Well. Look at that," Elincia smiled as we broke off, "Merry Christmas, Lucia."


	22. Journal 21: Cuddles

Warnings for nudity, but doesn't venture to M. Enjoy!

**Journal 21: Cuddles**

I don't think I've ever remembered any Christmas Eve quite like this one. Christmas in my family was a cookie-cutter tradition, and every year we did the same thing year in, year out: either host the Christmas Eve dinner or go someplace we're invited to, gorge ourselves on rich food, and get indigestion the next day. Wash, rinse, and repeat. Sometimes, we would attend the evening services in Ashera's temple, but this winter had been unusually harsh that I believe Father Oliver would forgive the dwindling populace this year.

But this year was different. I believe that to the day I kick the bucket, I will never forget this Christmas Eve. We may have not been able to go to a relative's home this year (again, the weather conditions), or received as many guests, but the one thing I've asked for Christmas was with me, safe and sound.

I handed Elincia a clean bathrobe to wait in as I drew a hot bath in my personal bathroom. Sitting at the edge of the tub, I idly stared at my reflection as I waited for it to fill up. Occasionally I would test the temperature by dipping my finger every so often so the tub would be warm, but not scalding.

When I was satisfied with the water level and temperature, I turned around to call Elincia over but noticed that she was already standing in the doorway of the bathroom.

"Well," I smiled, "the bath's ready. I'll be taking my leave. If you nee—," before I could finish my sentence, Elincia softly closed the door.

I blinked, and tried to swallow around the lump in my throat. "Who says you're going anywhere?" she gave a teasing smile. "I—uh—well…" I struggled to find the right words as I tried to focus on something, _anything _but my princess undoing the robe's belt.

"What's the matter?" she asked playfully, "my normally eloquent Lucia, speechless?"

"Ehhhhh…" I kept my eyes downcast, still slightly uncomfortable staring at my girlfriend who was completely in the nude right now.

Elincia laughed lightly as she slipped into the bath. "Please, stay with me, Lucia," she pleads, looking at me with her amber orbs. With a plea like that, how could I say no?"

"…I need someone to wash my back."

Aha! So that's it, wasn't it? "Well," I answered, feeling a bit of my confidence return, "is that all you will need tonight, _mademoiselle?_"

In response, I got splashed by some bath water. "Hey!" I yelped.

"You need it," Elincia said, feigning innocence, "it's as if you hadn't a bath in days!"

"Well, I had to wait for someone's phone call now, don't I?" I replied, trying in vain to dry off.

"Come on," Elincia tried harder to cajole me into joining her in the bath, looking like in the world a petulant child, "it's not the first time we've bathed together."

Yeah. Right. That.

I nervously rubbed the back of my neck, remembering that time. But Elincia wasn't finished yet. "…and if I recall correctly, it was _you_ who made the first move, wasn't it?" She ended with a devilish smile.

That did it.

"Alright," I sighed, "you win, princess!" Elincia clapped with glee at having won our "argument," watching as I stripped down and slipped into the bath. I took my place, sitting right behind her. Elincia reclined and laid her head on my chest while I wrapped my arms around her and idly traced circles on her stomach.

"On a more serious note," she began, "it _has_ been awhile since I had a warm bath like this."

"Yeah?" I asked, "when was the last time?"

"In Begnion," Elincia replied, "our first stop."

She began telling me of her travels throughout the continent. They began the journey in Begnion, meeting with several high end clients. I snorted inwardly as Elincia described them as "Pompous rich people," who knew nothing of labor or work, as they always had servants on hand to wait on them hand and foot. "Of course, not everyone is like that," Elincia continued. I nod, remembering Sephiran and Zelgius, among others. "It would help if more people in Begnion were like them," she sighs. There was more of a culture shock in Gallia, where people were used to working for their bread.

As she was continued her stories, I reached over and grabbed the shampoo bottle, squirted a generous amount in my palms, and massaged her scalp.

"That feels nice," she mumbled, sitting up straighter.

"Thanks. But don't fall asleep on me now," I reply, "you still have more stories to tell me."

After we both rinsed and dried, we snuggled under the covers.

"Our first Christmas together," I began, reaching up and touching Elincia's cheek. "And I wouldn't miss it for the world," she continued. I gathered her in my arms, and kissed the crown of her head as she snuggled closer to me.

"I know that it must sound really cliché to you, but you're the best thing that's ever happened to me." I said.

"I'll never get tired of hearing that from you," Elincia smiled, "and, of course, you are the best thing that has ever happened in my life."

"Think Santa will come?" I asked mischievously. "Hah. I've been up since five o' clock yesterday morning and I haven't seen him in any part of Tellius," Elincia responded, trying to stifle a yawn. "Five o'…wow, that's early," I mused. "Yes, well, the Phoenicians are early birds—no pun intended!" she laughed.

"What time is it, anyway?" I turned my head towards the digital clock. Its neon green lights announced that it was 3:30 AM.

"What time is it?" Elincia asked, repeating my earlier question.

"Time to sleep," I grin, earning a feigned pout from Elincia. "Er…what I mean is, 3:30, Ellie."

"That _is_ late," she acknowledged, stifling another yawn.

"Sleep, Ellie," I gently coaxed her, "I know it's been a long day for you." "I can—I can still trade stories if… you…wish," she said, but her voice was slowly being claimed by sleep and fatigue.

"There will be plenty of time for that tomorrow," I reply. She looked at me, and gently drew me closer for a kiss. Settling back against my arm, she sighs in content, looking very much at home in the crook of my arm. I smile at the sight. "Good night, Ellie," I whispered, my free hand pulling the chain of the nightlamp, enveloping us in darkness with only the moon and stars to provide light.

Elincia didn't respond, only her steady breaths let me know that she was simply waiting for me to say the word. I closed my eyes and soon joined her in dreamland, my last thoughts thanking Ashera once more for bringing my beloved to my arms on this very special night.

* * *

_**MidnightStriker:**__ This chapter is pure fluff to make up for a lack of updates and is not entirely plot-relevant. But the next one will be, so stay tuned!_

_Ahhhhhm. Well. What can I say. I __did__ take over a year to update, didn't I? Thankfully I had ended the last chapter before updates (Journal 19) to be somewhere during the Holidays. _

_I have no excuse; I humbly apologize once more. I'm going to say again straight up that somewhere along the line, I had a writer's block. But every so often, I would receive in my emails questions asking if I was ever going to continue this, and I say yes, yes I intend to see it through the end. _

_Thank you to all readers and reviewers:__ever faithful __** 69**__, __**TheLoveBrigade**__, loyal reader __**Kurjuus**__ and newcomer __**StattStatt**__!_

_Also to __**Cormag Ravenstaff**__**, **__because aside from a review, I got a personal message! I have to say, getting that PM (Personal Message) really gave me a swift kick to the behind. So, if it helps any, aside from very much appreciated reviews, a PM can give my conscience a good shake to get off my lazy butt and start writing. Peace and Prosperity to all readers for the incoming New Year! _


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